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We didn't manage to get up early this morning...again...and we had not thought to book ahead so by the time we got to the queue for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island we had to wait two and a half hours! But there was no way we could come to New York and not go to see them, so we did what the British do best and waited in line. Our quiet and orderly queue was briefly interrupted by a group of French guys who thought it was ok to push in. Unfortunately for them and their false story about asking someone to keep their place, they were surrounded by Brits...and you don't want to mess with Brits in a queue! We rallied together and sent them to the back. Hurrah!
Finally we were on our way and as clichéd as this trip was, it was so worth the wait. The statue itself is and impressive sight up close. We had wanted to climb up it but you have to book a week in advance to get to her feet and 4 months ahead to climb up to the crown! So we splashed out a whole $8 for a headset guide so we might actually learn something. Neither of us knew that the statue was only the thickness of two pennies! We also listened to the stories of immigrants who had arrived in New York in the 20s, 30s and 40s. It was really quite moving.
Next on the list was Ellis Island which was extremely interesting and I regret not having more time to spend there. Since we had only an hour there we decided to go to the film which would pretty much explain everything about the processes that the immigrants had to go through upon first arriving in New York. Through real footage from the 1920s and 30s it detailed the physical, mental and medical tests that these people had to endure and the fact the many families were split up. On a happier note many were reunited with family already in America. Only 2% of people were denied at this time. People were screened before they boarded the ship in their home country because anyone who was sent back, was done so at the shipping companies expense. I could have happily spent 3 hours there but we had to get the last boat back to Manhattan.
In the evening we went to Nicole's boyfriend's flat (Nish) as he was cooking us dinner...the best curry in New York! Thankfully we managed to find our way back to our flat with a little less trouble!
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