The Lady and other New York City, NY Things to Do Tips

What could be better than sailing past the Statue of Liberty on the way to Ellis Island.... or travelling on the Ferry from Staten Island. These are some of my favorite moments in NYC. Always and forever a favorite...a beacon....an absolutely beautiful piece of sculpture.

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Directions: South Ferry at Battery Park - Take the #5 train to Bowling Green or #1 to South Ferry

One of my very favorites is the Ellis Island museum building. You could spend hours examining the building and the displays. The Great Hall where everyone was "herded" in, examined, questioned, tagged, and separated. It must have been so confusing and scarey for all those thousands of immigrants who came. And yet...it was the end of a long hard journey...and the beginning of a whole new journey. Although there were mistakes made in processing everyone, I must say it took a monumental effort to move so many people through the immigration process in such a short period of time. What a job! Don't miss this part of New York City...It's really worth seeing. And...thanks to Lee Iacocca for the fundraising he spearheaded in order to make all of this restoration a reality. Well done!

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Directions: South Ferry at Battery Park - Take the #5 train to Bowling Green or #1 to South Ferry

Here we enjoy the lake in the middle of Central Park. You would think you were a hundred miles from all the hustle and bustle of the city. Yet serene and placid waters serve the multitudes who come here to rest and enjoy the peacefulness...and quiet of the park. I congratulate all who created the park and continue to maintain it as an oasis for the city dwellers. It was a welcome treat for me to be amongst the trees for a while.

Finally found it! I've looked for the castle before, but finally found it on this trip. Lovely little structure with a phenominal view from the tower. It overlooks the lakes where hundreds of people gather to relax on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Gosia was startled to see this wonderful statue of King Wladyslaw Jagiello of Poland sitting atop his steed in Central Park, New York! We haven't discovered why the statue was placed here or who the artist was who carved it. He's quite majestic, however, and seemed to draw a fair amount of attention from passersby....which pleased Gosia so much. He overlooks the Turtle Pond.

Lots of folks enjoy the park....seems to bring out the romantic in everyone. My son and his wife sit near the castle which overlooks this lovely lake. On the far shore, you can see the hundreds of people basking in the sunshine. Central Park is truly loved.

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Directions: Use the road behind the Met. Museum, and follow the signs...It's just behind Turtle Lake.
Website: http://www.centralpark.org/

Many New Yorkers I meet in other cities will tell me how many hours they spent at the Museum of Art when they were kids. Seems that many New Yorkers love the place and perhaps visited often on hot summer days . There is always something happening there and out in front of the building as well. You can find street performers that will wow you. A soprano sang opera with a portable microphone when we were there and her voice just blew me away. Later we saw street kids doing acrobatic dancing....passing the bucket for bucks. Take a rest on the steps and enjoy the drama of the street....or go inside for some wonderful exhibits. You could spend the day.

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Phone: 212-535-7710
Address: 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
Directions: Take 4, 5, or 6 train to 86th Street and walk three blocks west to Fifth Avenue
Website: http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp

This is a surprising looking building to me. I think of the Stock Exchange as being very sleek and new and when you see the architecture surrounding it, you should be surprised as I was that the buildings retain some history. I'm so glad of that. Everyone must take pictures in that area.
It was cordoned off with police tape...supposedly to restrain terrorists, I suppose. I rather doubt that these barricades are going to prevent anything....but I'm seeing them more and more in NYC and in DC. Perhaps we are supposed to live in fear....but I do not. They will not take my feeling of freedom from me. (Sorry...just a little standing on the soap box there)
This is the detail at the top of the NY Stock Exchange bldg. I'm sure the figures represent something...not sure of the story behind it, but they are an interesting collection of workers. Very nice sculpture. Be sure to notice such detail in the buildings as you go through the city.

Interesting to walk the financial district of the city and the infamous WALL STREET. The street signs mark the district..which ends at the waterfront with views of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The sign reads, " BANKING CAPITOL OF THE WORLD "

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Liberty State Park includes the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and the Central Railroad of New Jersey Train Terminal. The train station isn't featured very often, but we found it an interesting way to approach the city. We drove in from the New Jersey side...plenty of parking..viewed the train station, and boarded a ferry to Ellis Island. We later returned by water taxi from a stop which is close to Ground Zero.
This train station was built in 1889 and became the greatest concentration of freight and commuter rail services in the New York Harbor area. Tens of thousands of daily commuters were transported on more than a hundred ferry boat crossings to and from the terminal. Ellis Island increased the traffic by several thousand each day. It was the Gateway to America for all who came during the massive migration at the turn of the century.
When the tunnels and bridges opened, it hastened the decline of the New Jersey railroads. They declared bankruptcy in 1967, and the terminal closed its doors until it was purchased and restored as a cornerstone of Liberty State Park.
It's a beautiful structure...and one can imagine the hustle and bustle as the thousands of immigrants passed through.
When the immigrants were getting ready to leave Ellis Island, many were boarding trains for various parts of the country. The clock tower was probably a very welcome sight to these men and women as they boarded the train heading for their new life.

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Directions: South Ferry at Battery Park - Take the #5 train to Bowling Green or #1 to South Ferry