Day 6 in NY

So this morning I decided I wanted to see the Statue of Liberty. I left the hostel at about 1030 or so and took the subway to Battery Park, which is where they launch the ferries for liberty and Ellis islands.

I got in a moderate-sized line to purchase my ticket. That line took probably 30 to 40 minutes to get through. After I got my ticket I walked all the way around the park to the end of the line for the actual ferry. It was a pretty long line. It took about two hours (give or take fifteen ish minutes) to get through that line. I passed the time listening to various street performers. I don't know what the instrument is called but there were a couple of guys drumming songs out on these metal bowl looking things. They sounded Caribbean. One of the guys started playing the theme song to Mission:Impossible. If I'd had cash handy I would have paid him.

There was also an Asian man playing an Asian string instrument. It was pretty beautiful. He played "My Country Tis of Thee" Asian style. It was cool. When I finally got to the front of the line I had to go through airport style security. That went fairly fast because I don't generally carry a lot of metal objects on my person.

I picked a railing on the main deck of the ferry to enjoy the ride. It was a good ride and I picked a good side to see the statue from. I decided to get off the ferry at Liberty Island and have a look around. I ate lunch there--which consisted of a burger and chili cheese fries-- and then walked around the island. I didn't get a pass to go inside the statue so I just circumvented it. Still awesome, in my opinion. When I went in the gift shop I looked at pictures of immigrants and noticed that they were playing an instrumental rendition of "Abide With Me" which made me want to be more active in Family History work. I wondered if I was the only one in that hot, musty gift shop to recognize the song.

The worst part of the day consisted of the hour I spent standing in the middle of a restless crowd waiting for the ferry to Ellis island. Because of this, I recommend getting an express pass or going on the first boat over. I don't mind being in the middle of crowds that are moving... but only being able to stand there for such a long time amidst so many sweaty bodies may have turned me claustrophobic.

When the ferry finally came I decided that I wasn't going to exit at Ellis island, and I still support that decision in hindsight. I couldn't handle yet another hour long line.

After the ferry I headed back to the hostel to let my phone charge since it died while I was tying to take pictures of the attractive black guys and the cute 12 year old boy who were all breakdancing right outside of the South Ferry subway station. I wish I could have watched them longer.

While my phone charged I bought a towel at Pottery Barn since the hostel doesn't provide them. It's a pretty good looking towel. When I got back to my room my phone was mostly charged so I unplugged it and decided to walk to Little Italy and Chinatown. That took a while but it was worth it.

I walked around until it got dark and then picked an Italian restaurant at random and ate dinner there. It was delicious. I do declare I will marry an Italian man someday. :P

Just kidding. But really, it was amazing. I ordered ravioli and had a cannoli for dessert. Soo good.

I got back to the hostel a little while ago and now its pretty much time for bed. I'm thinking tomorrow will be my museum day.

Goodnight, all!