Tuesday, April 24, 2012

The Statue of Liberty & Marching Through the LES: Day 3

This was our day to visit the SOL/Ellis Island and the Tenement Museum. Since we had failed so miserably with the subway system the day before, we made sure to get directions from the hotel desk and got started extra early. We wandered around a bit once we reach Battery Park because there is construction going on and no signs so it was a bit confusing. Look for the white tents...these are the security tents you go through before loading onto the ferry. It only took about 15 mins. to get through security. Please note that you are required to remove your belt, empty pockets, but you dont have to take anything out of your purse. Being teachers, we got a kick out of another teacher onboard the ferry video taping everything with a running commentary for her students. ';Now boys and girls..over here is the.....blahblahblah';, in this sing songy voice....poor kids :) We had the pass to go inside the statue and out on the observation deck so we went through another security check. This one included the blast of air that hits you from below. There was a high school age girl in front of us wearing a cute mini skirt and when that air hit her, the skirt flew up and she let out this scream.....it was quite funny! So be warned, dont wear your mini to the Statue of Liberty. Ellis Island was interesting though not something that I feel I would have to do again. Once back on dry land, we had planned to take the subway to Chinatown then stroll over to the Lower East Side and eat lunch at the Clinton Street Baking Company. We got off the subway at Canal St. and of course headed off in the wrong direction. We walked and we walked and we walked some more...it was hot, we were thirsty and hungry and finally we gave up on the idea of lunch. We had pre-ordered tickets for the Tenement Museum and we had no idea where we were. Just by sheer luck, we found Economy Candy so we went in and got cold drinks and ask where the Tenement Museum was. They headed us in the general direction and by then we had given up on finding it. In my stumbling, I actually fell over the chalkboard sign in front of the museum! Had I not fallen over the sign we would have walked right past it. We just made it in time for the tour which we found quite interesting. The guide was very good. The only down side was that she got very nasty with a 90 year old man on the tour who had grown up in the neighborhood and had the nerve to ask her 2 questions. That kind of put a damper on the tour. So beware, dont ask any questions until the tour ends.

By this time, we were desperate for food and in keeping with our pub/diner theme, we ended up at the Washington Square Diner. Did I mention that we loved the village and especially Washington Square Park? We stopped to watch a basketball game and guys playing handball. We also enjoyed all the dogs at the dog park, the muscians in the park, and the chess players. We watched a very intense game between a huge man with dreadlocks vs. a cute little 10 year old girl. This was one of things I found so interesting about New York...so diverse...we loved it.

Wow, I%26#39;m dragging this out but there was so much to remember! more to follow.....sorry for torturing everyone!

The Statue of Liberty %26amp; Marching Through the LES: Day 3

No torture at all....I am enjoying it.

Hmmm. nasty tour guide at the Tenement Museum, huh? Good thing I wasn%26#39;t there, would have not been one of the most ';polite'; people in NYC - should have reported it.

Did you like Economy candy? I think this is a fab store, and I agree, The Village is a great neighborhood, absolutely worth exploring.

The Statue of Liberty %26amp; Marching Through the LES: Day 3

Enjoying your reports. I was shut out of the Tenement Museum last year for not booking in advance, but just a thought on the guide: I think they have so many tours that they must keep you moving to make way for the one coming next, maybe that%26#39;s why they don%26#39;t have time to answer individual questions, and also why they have the ';question and answer/conversations'; period afterward. But she could have explained that nicely to the older man.

You are too funny how you keep falling over things but it makes everything turn out well...I hope you went to Serendipity sometime on your trip - you embody it!


Once again, another fun day! Glad you go to Economy Candy! Did you buy anything? Looking forward to more!

Where else did you eat on your trip? Any recos?


Your reports are such fun, it%26#39;s no effort at all to read them. Must remember to tell my daughter not to put on a short skirt if she visits SOL next week.......


I%26#39;ve read through your reports and have very much enjoyed them. You really do ';go with the flow.'; Years ago in the Steeplechase amusement section of Cony Island, they had air jets coming out of the floor, operated by someone, whose sole purpose was to blow the dresses and skirts in the air and then almost all women/girls wore dresses or skirts.


Thanks so much for hanging in with me through my looong reports! Economy Candy was a blur for me because we were stressing out over finding the Tenement Museum. My son did manage to grab a bag of gummy bears and that was our lunch! I just wish we would have been in a better frame of mind while in LES. The streets were so cool....I%26#39;m a major history nut and the neighborhood looked exactly as I had pictured in my mind. But it%26#39;s just one more thing to place on our to-do list on our next trip there...our more relaxed and slowed down to smell the roses trip hopefully in the spring :)


Tessalyne, we walked right past the entrance to the Tenement Museum, too...we went down to the end of the block to the little old store and they sent us back the way we had come - couldn%26#39;t believe we missed it.

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