Of course, no trip to New York City can go without a visit to the Statue of Liberty.
Luckily, when we traveled there in early August, it was still open to the public and beautiful as ever! We left from the New Jersey side, at Liberty Park, which was close to our hotel and eliminated one trip into Manhattan.
We purchased our tickets online before leaving on the trip and had to hope the weather was good. I’m glad we purchased in advance, though, because many who were on our ferry were not able to go into the base of the statue, and our tickets allowed us to do so. Even purchasing tickets a month in advance, we were not able to get the $3 crown tickets – they were sold out. But we were so worn out even climbing to the top of the foundation, I think a trip to the crown would have done us in!
While the statue was spectacular, I think Ellis Island was the most informative and interesting. Every American should sometime visit the place where so many of our ancestors first step foot on American soil.
The audio tour is an absolute must and well-worth the $7 price. We initially rented two, but quickly changed our minds and rented one for each of us. It walks visitors through the building just as immigrants would have done two hundred years ago.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
When we visited New York City in early August, there was none of the turmoil we’re now seeing on the news. We took the train to Grand Central Station and boarded our tour bus right in Times Square.
It went right past the Wall Street bull, with only the normal tourist and business fanfare, although we did see security when we walked down Wall Street. Who could know how much would occur on those same streets just a month or so later.
We were a little annoyed that the tour bus required us to get off at Battery Park – we really just wanted to stay on the bus for the loop because the hop off/hop on feature seemed doubtful. It was too hard to figure out where to find the bus and we were concerned it would be full the next time it came around. So we just walked from there, past the future 911 memorial construction site, shopped in China Town and bought lunch from a corner vendor – we even walked in Central Park. And by the end of the day our legs were tired and we were ready to take the train back to New Jersey.
Tips:
1. To save on parking, stay at the Robert Treat hotel in Newark, and take the PATH train to Manhattan. The hotel was old, but nice, and there’s a great deli just around the corner. Not much to see in Newark, but if Manhattan is your destination and you only plan to stay a couple days, it can be a decent budget option.
2. Look for a deli near Central Park, on 5th Avenue, with a place to eat upstairs. We people-watched from the second floor while we enjoyed a cold drink and snack.
3. Research and buy tickets for attractions before you go, looking for deals on bus tours.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
As we continued on our trek to NYC, we traveled through New Jersey and my husband was surprised that there were some very pretty areas that looked an awful lot like Wisconsin – unlike what he thought we’d be seeing this close to New York City.
We stopped to visit Princeton University and it was a beautiful campus in the lovely, stately city of Princeton. We checked out some materials in the admissions office and then caught a sale at a campus shop and both kids got Princeton shirts. (Orange is my son’s favorite color!) They also sat on the tiger statues – which were hot on this 85-degree day!
We also visited the Jersey Shore not far south of New York City, and spent the afternoon chasing waves. It was a great break from the road trip.
Wisconsin to NYC Roadtrip Series:
Roadtrip Tips
Gettysburg
NYC September 11 Tiles
Philadelphia, PA
Lancaster County
Princeton University
NYC Before Occupy Wall Street
