New York, Day Three

Monday, 15 Sept '08

Chris and I intended to never eat at the same place twice while we were in town, and today started off with us staying on course to that goal. We had our breakfast at a place called The Manhatten Diner a block up Broadway from our hotel. The food was tasty and the service was fast. I had a Denver omlette and got it less than five minutes after I ordered it.

Later we took the subway down to the south end of the Red Line, South Ferry Station. A curious fact about that station is that if you aren't in one of the first five cars you can't get out there.
While waiting for the next ferry to Liberty Island, Chris and I wandered around Battery Park. Of greatest interest to me was Castle Clinton, one of the forts built in the early 1800's to protect New York Harbor. Castle Clinton originally stood on a small island two hundred feet off the southern tip of Manhatten, and was connected to the shore by a bridge. A single-tier masonary work that mounted twenty-four guns, its military career lasted a mere ten years, and it never fired a shot in anger. Less than a mile away, on Governors Island is the much more impressive Castle Williams, a three-tier work that mounted 104 guns. It is open to the public as part of Governors Island National Monument, but Chris and I didn't get over to see it. Maybe if we go back to New York next year we'll have a chance.

The ferries to Liberty and Ellis Islands leave every half hour. We had to go through security to get on board, and we had at least a hundred companions , maybe two hundred. There were seats on the upper deck, and two enclosed decks, but Chris and I elected to stand outside at the bow. The voyage lasted perhaps half an hour, if that.

On Liberty Island itself the dock leads to a fairly large cluster of buildings, some open to tourists but mostly not. There was a guy in period costume who seemed to be leading a tour, and a couple of police types who appeared to be armed. Chris and I bypassed all that and walked across the island to the flagpole. From there we walked around the perimeter of the island. While the statue itself is quite impressive, its base is also. The base is as tall as the statue itself, and far more massive. The lowest level looks like an elaborate fortress. To actually enter the base we had to go through another, more rigorous security check. Instead of metal detectors, the machines blew puffs of air over us. They were chemical sniffers, looking for traces of explosives and the like.

Inside the base we had to climb rather narrow stairs that turned and doubled back a lot. Reaching the top we were met by a park ranger who gave a short lecture on the statue and answered such questions as were asked. The statue itself is closed to the public for safety reasons, mostly due to the fact that there is a single narrow spiral staircase leading up to the observation deck in the crown.

Moving on to Ellis Island, the museum there, located in the restored Main Hall, was extremely interesting. I was disappointed, though, to see that all of the other buildings on the island remain abandoned and neglected. Some efforts have been made to stabilize them, but that's about it. The ferry slip between the Main Hall and the rest of the island contains the remains of the pilings that once guided ferryloads of immigrants up to the docking building, though they have rotted away above the water. Also, there appears to be a sunken ship or barge in the slip.
Finally, if you ever go to Ellis Island, don't eat at the food court there. It serves crappy, lukewarm chow at inflated prices.

Back in Manhatten, Chris took me on a death march all over. We saw the Stock Exchange, Federal Hall, the South Street Seaport, the Brooklyn Bridge along with lots of streets and people. Between South Street Seaport and the Brooklyn Bridge was a neighborhood that was a cross between a warehouse district and small apartment buildings and shops. Probably left over from the days when Manhatten had more ship traffic than it does today.

After returning to the hotel to rest a bit, we went (with some difficulty-Chris didn't quite remember the way) to the Rockefeller Center for the short tour called Top of the Rock. Part corporate propaganda to gild the reputation of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Top of the Rock allows you, for a fee and a not-mandatory-but-highly-recommended series of videos about Mr. Rockefeller and his buildings (the Center is actually a complex of nineteen buildings) to take an elevator to the observation deck at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaze, also known as the GE Building. The elevator is fast, lifting you to the 67th floor in 47 seconds (so our guide said).
The observation deck has three levels that get smaller as you go up. The view of the city and surrounding area are truely magnificent. I'd guess we could see at least fifty miles, although the cityscape took the bulk of our attention. The sun was setting while we were up there, and as the twilight deepened and the city started to light up, it made quite a spectacle.

We had a bit of trouble getting out of the Rockefeller Center. We got down into the underground concourse that is part of the Center complex, and took a while to find our way to the street.
After a good but not great dinner at a Thai place near Times Square we walked through the Square and down to 14th Street in Chelsea looking for freaks...er, interesting people. While we did see a lot of interesting people, including a number of bums, I never felt even a hint of apprehension. In fact, not once during the whole trip, no matter where we went, did I ever feel I was in danger. The only flashing lights and wailing sirens I ever saw were on an ambulance heading up Broadway. After riding back up to 72nd Street, as we walked the three blocks to the hotel, we passed a guy sleeping on the sidewalk, sleeping bag, pillow and all. And New York is supposed to be a dangerous place.