Thursday's Excursion to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, by Pat Caruso

An absolutely cloudless sky welcomed 40 Metro members and their guests Thursday morning, for what would turn out to be a most wonderful excursion.  Our bus left Mt. Olive promptly at 10 am for Liberty Island State Park on the NJ side of NY Harbor.  We arrived in front of the old train station (now a train museum) and proceeded to the docks to catch our ferry.

After weaving our way thru the security check point, it was "all aboard" The Miss New Jersey for a brief ferry ride to Ellis Island.  The main building has been restored to its original splendor, its brick and limestone facade shone against the clear blue sky.  Inside, one is immediately greeted by a display of the many suitcases, trunks, or blankets that carried the all the worldly possessions of the immigrants those decades ago.

We were lucky enough to latch on to a National Park Service Ranger's tour that had just begun.  He explained the process that all new immigrants were screened.  "Do you have a job here in America?"  "Do you know anyone in America?" was just the beginning.  After a brief interrogation, you were told to go thru the door on the left, the door straight ahead, or thru the door right.  That direction could mean the difference between a quarantine, deportation or a new life in America.

You many be familiar with the famous Grand Hall, the main hall where new immigrants were recorded.  It was noted that the hall had been empty for decades to deteriorate, before restoration efforts were undertaken.  Well, when restoration of the Hall started, of the thousands of tiles that make up the arched ceiling, only SEVEN tiles had to be replaced - a testament to the craftsmanship of those early masons.

Mid afternoon brought a ferry ride to Liberty Island, home of the Lady With The Torch.  Tours to enter the base and statue were sold out, but it was still a thrill to walk around the island, observing the statue from every angle.  And looking back at the skyline was a thrill for our out-of-town visitors (and a few New Yorkers in my group, too!).  And "us locals" made sure to point out where the World Trade Center stood, to our CCCA friends not familiar with Lower Manhattan.

As late afternoon arrived, were boarded our ferry back to NJ for our waiting (and thankfully, air-conditioned) bus.  For dinner hour was approaching and Bob & Grace had a treat planned for us.

We stayed on the NJ side of the harbor and arrived at a NJ landmark, the Chart House Restaurant in Weehawken.  From our private dining room, the glistening NYC skyline was on display.  The USS Intrepid Air & Space Museum, the Javits Convention Center, and all of lower Manhattan never looked better.  One topic of conversation at our table was "Which is a prettier building - The Empire State or The Chrysler Building?"  Well, with both in plain sight, and fully lit, it was a tough one to answer!

A scrumptious meal and wonderful conversation was a most pleasant way to end a great day!

So, who was the first immigrant?

On January 1, 1892, fifteen year old Annie Moore became the first immigrant to enter the United States through the new Ellis Island Immigration Station.  Ten days earlier, Annie and her two younger brothers left County Cork, Ireland and sailed in steerage class on the steamship Nevada.  Their parents had come over a few years earlier.  Upon arrival, she was greeted by the United States Immigration Superintendent, John Weber who gave her a ten dollar gold coin to commemorate the occasion.