New York City Tour Part 3

The final stop of our day brought us back near Liberty Harbor.

It was time to visit Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty.

We hopped on the short cruise to our destinations.

Along the way, we got another great view of the city's skyline.

Our first stop was Ellis Island, which served as the main entry facility for United States immigrants from 1892 to 1954.

More than 12 million immigrants passed through Ellis Island during this period, including over 1 million in its peak year 1907.

About 10% of those arriving at Ellis Island were held for a legal hearing. If it was thought someone may become a public burden, was a contract laborer or worse, they would be brought to this hearing room.

Ultimately, only 2% of those trying to enter the United States were returned to their home countries. Reasons included criminal history, medical conditions and insanity.

Temporarily detained immigrants were housed in one of two dormitory rooms.

Back on the boat, visitors approaching The Statue get views of it from several different perspectives.

The Statue of Liberty was presented as a gift to the United States from the people of France in 1886.

Did you know the seven spikes on The Statue's crown are believed to represent both the seven seas and the seven continents?

As promised, here's the video of our full-day guided tour of New York City.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/new-york-city-tour/ pictures 171-246.

To be continued...

New York City Tour Part 2

Next the bus headed through the well-known theater and shopping district of Times Square.

We thought we might see the Naked Cowboy of Times Square but instead saw the Naked Cowgirl...or did we? Take a look at this article www.oanmedia.com/2008/06/naked_cowgirl_granny_in_times.php . What a coincidence we took this picture...too bad we didn't get a better one.

The electronic billboards of Times Square are a familiar sight to anyone who has watched the ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Our bus finally stopped at the corner of East 42nd Street and Park Ave. where we found...

a view of The Empire State Building...and we entered...

Grand Central Terminal. With 44, Grand Central Terminal has more platforms than any other train station in the world.

Although it is often called "Grand Central Station", that name actually refers to the nearby post office and a previous rail station on the site.

The station originally opened in 1871 and was then entirely torn down in phases between 1903 and 1913 and replaced with the current Grand Central Terminal.

The main branch of the New York Public Library is very near Grand Central. You may recognize it as a major location from the 2004 film The Day After Tomorrow.

A shortage of parking in Manhattan increases the need for these stacked parking structures...expect no quick getaways here.

Our next stop of the day was at the sobering construction site formerly occupied by the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

Constructed from 1966-1973, the Twin Towers stood 110 feet high and were the world's tallest buildings for one year after construction, when the Sears Tower surpassed them.

The occupants of the Twin Towers accounted for approximately 3,000 of the victims of the 9/11 attacks.

This cross, known as the World Trade Center cross or the Ground Zero cross, was found in the debris of the buildings and stands as a memorial to the victims. It is temporarily located at nearby St. Peter's Church.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/new-york-city-tour/ pictures 93-170.

Look for the video of our New York City tour in the next entry!

To be continued...

New York City Tour Part 1

Before leaving on our all-day tour the next morning, we took in the New York City skyline at night.

Bright and early, our tour bus picked us up just feet from our site. We were glad someone else was doing the driving.

We saw a lot of skyscrapers.

We saw and later visited this two-story Circuit City Store.

Our first stop of the day was 843-acre Central Park.

Turtles were seen, but no crimes were witnessed today in this park that appeared surprisingly safer and more comfortable than the Central Park we had witnessed in movies and on television.

Who would want to drive in this?

Near Central Park, we passed The Dakota. This apartment building's exterior was used for the 1968 movie Rosemary's Baby starring Mia Farrow and, in 1980, was the site of the murder of former Beatle John Lennon.

Our next stop was St. Patrick's Cathedral.

The cathedral, originally completed in 1878, was used prominently in the 1990 film The Godfather Part 3 and very recently as the setting of the Wilhelmina Slater/Bradford Meade wedding in the ABC-TV hit Ugly Betty.

Marlon was impressed.

The altar of St. Patrick's Cathedral...

Rockefeller Center, actually a complex of 19 commercial buildings, has as its centerpiece the 70-floor GE Building, also known as 30 Rock.

This 65-foot skyscraper stands in Rockefeller Plaza and is constructed from an Erector Set. How much does this 65-foot skyscraper weigh? Try 16,000 pounds!

In the winter time, this lower level of Rockefeller Plaza is transformed into The Rink at Rockefeller Center. The outdoor rink has been featured in movies and on television.

At 1260 Avenue of the Americas sites one of the original buildings of the Rockefeller Center...Radio City Music Hall opened in 1932, seats 6,000 and is home of the world famous Radio City Rockettes.

For more pictures, go to http://public.fotki.com/Marlonfleenor/1/2008/june/new-york-city-tour/ pictures 1-92.

Look for video of our New York City tour coming up soon.

To be continued...