Battery Park is where everything starts with a ferry to Lady Liberty,
Already, one can see memorials & events to remember 9-11 such as Ribbons of Hope - for the 9-11 anniversary and flags with names of the people who were lost during that horrible event.
Queuing up at my designated timing, it was a nice ride with a scenic view of the city.
First stop was : Statue of Liberty
American Chopper, a popular TV show, had used parts from the Lady of Liberty & made a chopper. This was on display, apparently, all parts are functioning & they use it occasionally for events.
Walking around the island was a bit lonely since I was surrounded by people with family and friends. I quickly made my way inside the Lady. Thanks to booking my tickets in advance, i managed to go inside the podium, unlike the many disappointed people around me. Ha!
Closeup.. she looks like a man ! It has been said that the Lady is modeled after her creator's mother. >.<
'What big feet you have, Grandma"
After touring the museum about the creation of the Lady, i started on the stairs up the pedestal.
On this narrow platform, there was amazing views of the city..
and 'Oops, now i am close enough to look up her skirt!"
One can also look up and see that the Lady is actually made up of sheet iron, hammered into shape & held up by 6 main pillars.
Second Stop: Ellis Island
Ellis Island was the pit stop where the first immigrants arrived to get their health and status assessed before allowing them into America. In present day, the building has been transformed into a mini-museum to remind people of this story. The building itself has been preserved, in fact, the original floors, toilets and bulk of the building remains the same as it was originally used.
The whole trip to the Lady actually took much longer than i expected. I pictured a short 2 hour photo taking trip instead of learning about the history of how the Lady got constructed & the stories about the early immigrants.
By then, i was hungry.
Shake Shack. I have been in New York for about 3 months now and i have not stepped foot in the most popular burger joint in the city. I wanted it TODAY. So making my way from Battery Park to the Financial District, I walked purposefully to my target.
I forgot, in that moment that it was the eve of 9-11. The streets were barricaded. Policeman were guarding blocks around the area. I saw teenagers dragging suitcases, ready to go to the site for a midnight vigil. From a distance, i could see the American flag hung high up on the Financial Center in preparation for the unveiling of the 9-11 memorial the next day. I saw a car that was toiled away for illegal parking among other worries.
For once, New York's most popular burger joint, did not have a queue. I walked in and ordered straight away.
Their famous Shake Burger, cheese fries and their legendary concrete of the day, red velvet. The burger was good. The cheese fries were really filling & yes, topped with REAL melted cheese. This is for you, fellow Singaporeans, the stuff that they serve at GV ain't it. The concrete didn't really melt while it was sitting down there waiting for me to finish my fries and burger. If i were to describe it, everything felt like a Macdonalds meal, but taken to the next level. The next high quality, delicious for grown ups level.
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