hi folks!
my 11-yr old son and i will be visting nyc (1st time) next summer (june). we will be arriving amtrak (penn sta) -- don't have hotel yet but will likely take post folks advice and use priceline to find safe clean cheap convenient to sub -- if possible (we don't ask for much!). que: if we have only 3 days, is it terribly poor citizenship to see ellis/staue from ferry only, or is it worth the time to actually boat out to it and see/climb or whatever one does once there?
thanks for any tips.
carolyn

No it's not unpatriotic to just see them from the boat. Right now, there's no climbing into Liberty anyway.

If Ellis Island is not on your agenda you might as well view it from afar. One way to do it is by taking a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. It is free and the round trip takes an hour or so.

The Staten Island ferry is MUCH better, and there's no 2-hour long line to get on the boat! You get a great view - it's at that perfect picture-taking distance. Most NYers (that I know) have never even been to Liberty Island because it's such a hassle. The ones who have been there said it wasn't worth it.

My boyfriend had been begging me for years to go to Ellis Island, so we finally got on that huge line and went. I thought it was ok; he hated it.

Carolyn:
The Staten Island Ferry is also FREE! Great ride. You don't need to get off the boat in SI unless they are putting it away for the night. When you get to SI just stay on and enjoy the round trip. The approach to the city is fabulous as well as heart breaking. Enjoy your stay here.

I agree that the ferry is a good option. To make the trip more interesting, take one of the "old" boats that were designed to carry cars.

For best viewing, stay in the back of the boat as you pull away from NYC. You'll get a nice view of the Brooklyn Bridge and the city skyline.

We took the boat out from the NJ side directly to both places. I would have just tried the free Staten Is. Ferry had I known about it.

We spent a whole day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This visit made our whole trip. The MMA was amazing! I would highly recommend it.

If you had relatives go through Ellis Island it's definitely worth the time to stop. My paternal grandparents both came through Ellis Island as children so it was a 'must see' for me on our NYC trip last summer. Our kids were only mildly interested but I found it to be profoundly moving especially when I found my grandparents'names on the 'wall' outside of the main building. The thing that got to me the most, though, is the family picture taken as we stood on Ellis Island with our backs to the New York skyline. The WTC was in the background and 9 days later it was gone--we're thankful to have the photo.

Teresa - To the best of my knowledge...those names on that wall...are of the donors who contributed funds for the Ellis Island rehab.

Loved Ellis Island. I want to go back. If your into history it's great. The Statue can be seen just as well from the boat. We also went out of NJ

To have a name placed on the wall requires a donation. I had my parents name inscribed and my recollection is that I had to make a $200 dollar donation.

If you have time to visit, Ellis Island is amazing. I went three years ago and spend the better part of a day. I learned SO much. Then, my husband and I went last year, and we spent at least four hours reading everything and looking at the displays.

It's a really good introduction to the history of immigration and well worth the wait in line for the ferry!

xx and aaa ,
You're right--a donation's required. I later found out that a great aunt had paid the $$$. Still pretty neat to see the names of my grandparents listed as a part of our nation's history.

You can do all your Ellis Island history looking online, www.ellisisland.org it includes digitized manifest records, ship info, etc.

Why can't the public go up the statue of liberty any more?

The public's access to the Statue of Liberty was restricted after the 9/11 tragedy. It was felt that the Statue might be another terrorist target. I believe tourists are allowed back into the Statue now, but visits up to the torch are still restricted.

According to their web site, Liberty is still closed for security reasons.

http://www.nps.gov/stli/reopening/page4.html

thanks so much for thoughts/tips on ellis. think we'll view from ferry unless we find extra time on our hands. shame that we have to make such choices... but then, my main objective/hope is for my son to know/experience that there is a big world out there beyond his own homeplace. he can always return some day on his own -- maybe with his own child (if i'm lucky!)
thanks again, all...
carolyn

Definitely GO to see both the Statue and Ellis Island. I grew up in NY and only took the Staten Is. Ferry past both as a kid (I should say, past the Statue as Ellis Is. was not fixed up at that time). You do not get the same feel for the places when you go by.

Even after I finally made it to the Statue of Liberty, I still did not climb to the top (it's a height thing), but the museum is worth the time. Also, climbing takes a VERY long time. There is a site near the Immigrants' Wall of Honor that was being excavated and they found one of the earliest forts--in total, it is awesome! Ellis Is. is wonderful! Very interactive. We took three of our boys (the oldest is in the Marines now, and was not with us) last summer (June 2001)--their ages were at that time: 15, 11, and 9. Each enjoyed the visit far more than they thought they would.

If you can spare the time, go to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. During the summer, you are much better off going on a weekday than a weekend.

Our last visit took on a new poignancy after 9/11. I have several beautiful photos of Manhatten featuring the Twin Towers--as someone else said about her photos, ours are treasured momentos. I think in light of 9/11, your son may get even more out of a trip over there. There are no two greater symbols of what America is all about than these two sites.

Go to the Ellis Island on-line site (ellisisland.org, I think) to get a better idea of what there is to do and see. There may be a link to info about the Statue of Liberty. Also, if you do have family who immigrated, that is the place to find his/her name. It is a very easy search.

If you do decide to go, I am sure you will not regret it!

Good luck! Enjoy NY, no matter what you decide to do!

Took the boat ($8.00) on Monday. No line, no crowds. Since you can't go into the statue and it was raining (couldn't even see the city skyline) we only got off on Ellis Island. We spent at least 3 hours there. It was fascinating.

We also took the Circle Line tour on Saturday when it wasn't raining and had a great time. The views on the entire trip were fabulous. Again, for the 3:30 boat, no line.