We were utterly confused. Are we going the right way? We were looking at the map and trying to figure out which way to go. I thought we should be going south wards, while my wife thought we should be north bound. We had a little argument too. In the end, however, I found that she was right! Wives are always right! We took a correct turn suggested by her and whoa! We were on Broadway!
Thus began our trip to the Liberty Island in New York City. In the last week of August, we packed our bags for a trip around NYC and the Niagra Falls. We got accommodation at a cousin's place in New Jersey. While in NYC, I always wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty. To me, this statue symbolises the spirit of North America. We made plans to go to the Liberty Island on the Hudson river where this magnificent statue is located.
From the Harrison Path station in New Jersey we boarded the train to the World Trade Center Station in Manhattan, New York. We came out of the station and wow! We saw the new Twin Towers! They are still under construction, but already so huge and looked magnificent. We also saw the 9/11 Memorial and Ground Zero site next to it. Then we collected a map from the Information Center and planned to walk our way to Battery Park. Battery Park is the place, from where the ferry cruises to Liberty Island begins.
After we figured out the correct route to take, we trudged along the magnificent Broadway. And man, we were walking through history. We passed Wall Street, saw the New York Stock Exchange, saw the statue of The Bull, the symbol of New York's dominant economy. There were great museums and chapels too on our way.
We reached Battery Park, got the tickets of the cruise and got in the mammoth queue. The Statue of Liberty was visible at a distance in the center of the river. There was airport security like checking, and after that you can get into the streamer. It's a three storied streamer with the top deck open.
The cruise began. Lovely breeze from the waters soothed us, and we forgot the tiredness of walking a long way. As Liberty Island approached, the magnificent Statue of Liberty became more and more prominent before our eyes. Everybody was frantically clicking on their cameras for a good shot of this beautiful lady. It's so huge that we appear like liliputs in front of it.
We landed on the Liberty Island. There was an audio presentation which we heard. It has experiences of many immigrants and tales that they have told to their descendants. In one such a tale, a woman, who was coming to US on a voyage all alone, asked someone on her way, how am I supposed to find my way to the US? She got the answer, on your way, on the sea, you will see a beautiful lady with a lamp, who will show you the way. Till date, the statue has been a symbol of hope to the Americans, and to everyone who have left their home and come to this land in search of a new life.
We roamed around the island. Saw the skyline of New York from there. We also visited a good gift center and park with cool shade of trees. All this while the wonderful huge bronze statue overlooked us. We were sheerly awed at its splendor. We went to the front of the statue and stood at its foot. Its beautifully crafted and looks amazing in the background of the azure blue sky. We also read about the statue's history written in a board.
There were a lot of crowd and all were having a good time. Families, couples, school children all were enjoying themselves, roaming around and seemed to be happy to be here.
I was thinking, what it means to me to be here? Well, I never thought in my life that I will ever visit the US. And even after coming here, I was far from New York City. However, before going back to India I wanted to visit this statue and also the Niagra Falls. I was glad that I did. I also visited the Niagra Falls, but I will write about that experience later.
To the Americans, the statue is a symbol of hope, pride, and joy. To me, it felt great that I made it here. Maybe I will never be back. But I experienced one of the greatest structures made by man today!
If you ever visit NYC, make it a point to go on this cruise. And for now, enjoy the snaps that I took while I was there.
