While I had visited the Statue of Liberty years ago (so long ago we were able to go up to the crown), I had never visited Ellis Island. I had wanted to take the hard hat tour of the abandoned hospital complex on Ellis Island, but when Norah was finally old enough (13), we had moved and the tours weren’t available when we were in NYC in 2021. So this year - finally - we could do the tour. Yay! This really was a terrific experience. We boarded the boat at Battery Park and had great views of the Statue of Liberty on our way to Ellis Island (nearly everybody on the boat got off at the Statue of Liberty). We had booked the earliest tour on a weekday, so it didn’t take long at all for us to get through security and we had time to check out some of the exhibits on Ellis Island before our hard hat tour. The hard hat tour was a 60 minute guided tour of the South Side where the abandoned hospital complex is. After the hospital complex closed the Coast Guard used the buildings and once they left in 1954, the buildings sat empty and were stripped bare of most of their items and fixtures and fell into increasing states of disrepair (they are currently overseen by a non-profit organization). Our guide was very knowledgeable and led us through the buildings explaining what each wing was used for and what the process was like for immigrants arriving at Ellis Island. It was really a fascinating look at this point in history.

Additionally, there is an art exhibit called “Unframed - Ellis Island” by French artist JR that works well in the space. He uses the space and photographs to maximum effect to capture the hopes and poignancy of those who journeyed so far from home for a chance of a new life. This installation really adds to the experience. I’m so glad we finally had a chance to do this tour! Afterwards we went through the other exhibits in the Great Hall - they really do a wonderful job with explaining why different immigrants chose to come to the US, what the process was like going through Ellis Island, and what life was like as an immigrant in NYC and beyond (this was a great complement to our tour at The Tenement Museum). I especially liked the collection of old photographs. Overall a really fantastic morning.

We were pretty hungry after Ellis Island and while there is a small cafe on site, we decided to wait until we got back to Manhattan. We walked to Kuu Ramen for a late lunch then took the subway to midtown for dessert at Grace Street Coffee and Desserts. We walked to The Strand Bookstore (always a must when visiting NYC) and hung out with Anshu before our final dinner in NYC at Cafe Cluny. We had a little more time the next morning before catching our train to Philadelphia. We met Charu at Hudson Yards, took a walk on the Highline, and had lunch at Chelsea Market. Our time in NYC was well spent and we had a terrific time!