Ellis Island, New York City, NY
It was my dad’s birthday recently and he and my mom decided that spending a weekend in the city would be a fun way to celebrate. Even though my dad grew up near New York, he (like most natives) never visited most of the big tourist spots. Needless to say we fixed that for a few places.
If you know your family immigrated to the US, and especially if you’re Italian and still have family in the New York are, bets are that your ancestors came through Ellis Island. We got up early so we could catch one of the first ferries out to Liberty, and then Ellis Island.
While you can get a ticket to go up inside the Statue of Liberty, the best view is really from the ferry, so we skipped getting off at that stop and made it as one of the first people to Ellis Island that morning instead. If you want the museum to yourself for a while, this is definitely the best way to do it.
We spent a few hours going through all of the main exhibits and getting a glimpse into what it would have been like to immigrate through this famous spot. For me, one of the most impressive parts was the photographs that have been blown up so that viewers can really get an idea of what life was like in the early 1900s.
Ellis Island's first immigrant, Annie Moore
I hope you enjoyed this look into a big piece of New York history and that it inspires you to explore other famous NY sights! As always, please leave any questions or comments in the section below.
Keep exploring,
~V
Date & Locations: 23 September 2017 - Ellis Island, New York City, NY
Photos taken with: Nikon D5300, Nikon AF-P DX Nikkor 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G VR Lens