A Day with Lady Liberty

Thursday August 22nd, and it is my 20th day on Out To See and the crew's 15th day aboard our boat. Captain Kyle has one more full day and then he will return to Toronto and the rest of the crew will likely be onboard for another 10 days. At that point we are planning to be back in Trenton where we will again, switch crews. For now, we are enjoying our time in New York. We always say we are in NYC however, we are actually docked in Jersey City, New Jersey, and our marina is small in comparison to others along the Hudson and especially in this area. We are in a water inlet where there are three marinas.

Hudson Point Marina is the smallest and most protected from winds and surging waters but can only handle 50 boats. We have facilities in the building next to the marina for washroom and showers. It is not far to walk and it is always clean but there is no fuel or services. We are enjoying this location as it is very safe.

Hudson Point Marina

Located beside our marina is the Manhattan Yacht Club and it is a private marina however, it houses some of the local fire boats. I dropped by and talked with the marina staff and they told me they are totally full and have a waiting time for slips.

Manhattan Yacht Club

Across from our marina is Liberty Landing Marina and they have full services that include fuel, pump out, washrooms with showers, laundry facilities, marine repair and a large marine store. It all sounds good, but the cost for an overnight slip is $7.50 per foot. So for these large boats that are 60 feet long they are paying $450 per night plus $25 for hydro. That is way more than we are paying at the Hudson Point Marina. They can handle 520 boats that range in sizes from 20 feet to 160 feet in length.

Liberty Landing Marina

Across from the Liberty Landing Marina and just beside our marina is the Surf City Beach Bar and Restaurant and it is very large. It is on the water and serves Seafood, Burgers and Sandwiches. It looked like a good place to hang out at night and enjoy the water view however, we have not walked that way yet, as all our adventures are into the city.

This area is called Jersey City and it is now highly developed. Many high rise apartments and office complex buildings are here and the skyline is now growing similar to the Manhattan skyline.

We may have to go to the Surf City for some appetizers and a few drinks before we leave on Sunday.

Our choice of marina was excellent as it is private, secluded and not windy.

Today, was our excursion to Ellis Island and to the Statue Of Liberty. We purchased a set of tickets online that included the Ferry trip to the various historic locations. In order to get to the main Ferry Terminal we had to catch another ferry from the dock beside our marina which was a 5 minute walk, and only a $2 charge to get across the waterway. The ferry took us to the island where we caught the Scenic Cruise Line to both Ellis Island and then on to the statue.

Once we arrived across the canal, we started to walk to the Ferry Terminal and went behind the Liberty House Wedding and Event Venue where we found Jan lounging and a chess board. The two Captains had a Chess Game and had a tough time playing with such large pieces but we managed. It is never about winning, but always about how you play the game.

When we arrived at the Ferry building, we had to go through security and wait for the ferry to arrive as they are always running tight schedules and transfer some 10,000 people to the two islands daily. It was a busy spot but well oiled.

The terminal building was originally a train station that moved the immigrants that were passed through Ellis Island to various locations in the US by rail and it still stands today as the Ferry Terminal from the New Jersey side.

Liberty Ferry Terminal Station in New Jersey

The Ferry took us to Ellis Island first where we learned about the millions of Immigrants that came into the US between the years 1892 to 1954 and where more than 12 million immigrants would arrive in the US via Ellis Island. It was closed in 1954 and was abandoned for years before the US government decided to restore the site and make it a National Museum of Immigration.

There is so much history here and the many millions that came through Ellis Island became part of the builders of the US economy and they were thankful for arriving in the Land of Opportunity.

After our stop at Ellis Island we boarded the Ferry again to go to what was Bedloe's Island where the Statue of Liberty is located. The island was renamed Liberty Island in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Statue stood tall on the small island and reached a height of 175 feet which includes the base. Originally the Statue was designed by a French Sculptor named Auguste Bartheoldi who came up with the concept, and he even visited America to select a place where it should go. The metal framework (interior structure) was built by a Frenchman named Gustave Eiffel, who later would go on to build the Eiffel Tower in Paris France. The Statue was paid for by the people of France and the base to support the statue was the responsibility of the US. The statue is Copper and today the flame is made of Gold Leaf and is bright in the sun. Between 1886 and 1906 it was originally a lighthouse and because the light did not burn bright enough it was eventually closed as a lighthouse.

When we were going through the Museum there was a "Media Play Area" where you could get a photo taken of yourself and it will be uploaded to the large screen in the museum and your photo would be come part of Lady Liberty's Future.

Here is the photo that they emailed to us after we participated in the Liberty Movement.

After debarking from the ferry at Liberty Landing we walked past a Memorial that the State of New Jersey installed, to commemorate the 9/11 attack. The names engraved on the walls, are for those from New Jersey that died and the two walls face the location where the Twin Towers once stood.

Tomorrow, we are looking to do some walking into the city and explore Chelsea, Tribeca, Greenwich Village and see what interesting things we can find. We have to be home early to allow Captain Kyle to pack and get ready for a 5:30 am rise Saturday morning, in order to catch his 9am flight home. We will miss him when he is gone.

Tomorrow, I think Jan and Cynthia want to find a place where there can get more Red Velvet Cake and Multi-Coloured Bagels.

Friday will be our last full day in the city with Kyle - Just wait and see what we find.