Following the immigrants

Castle Clinton sits on the very edge of Lower Manhattan's Battery Park, watching over the harbour with a military air, just as it was designed to do when it was built in 1811, as a fort to keep the British at bay during the early days of the new republic.  Back then it was on its own island, but subsequent landfill expanded Manhattan to the degree that the fort is now attached to the mainland.  When the British threat was over, Castle Clinton took on numerous different roles - between 1823 and 1854 it was an entertainment centre called Castle Garden; in 1855, it became an immigration landing depot; and in 1896, it was remodelled to become the New York City Aquarium.  This remained until 1941, when the aquarium was relocated to Coney Island, and the National Park Service was restored, and eventually reopened as a national monument.  Today, somewhat appropriately given its history, it is the ticket hub for cruises to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, its usurper as New York's immigration centre.

Statue Cruise boat

The Statue Cruise boats ply the waters between the mainland and the islands all day long, transporting thousands of passengers to the world-famous Statue of Liberty every day, and around four million tourists each year.  Our arrival on Liberty Island is a foggy one, and for most of our cruise we have seen neither the mainland or our destination, so shrouded have we been in the harbour mist.  By the time we disembark, however, the sun is making an improved effort, and in the space of 20 minutes after landing, much of the mist has burned away, and Lady Liberty gives us our first real glimpse.  It's a funny feeling - this is one of those monuments that everybody knows, and seeing it in the flesh is a lot like greeting a familiar friend.  Nonetheless, the statue is bigger, taller, and more beautiful than I had previously imagined, and indeed when mixed with the worldwide fame (is this the most famous thing on Earth?) it's very difficult to take your eyes off her.  The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustav Eiffel (see my Paris blog!)  It was dedicated on 28 October 1886, and its green colour can be explained by the fact that it is made of copper, which has naturally corroded over the years.

The Statue of Liberty

Being up close on Liberty Island is one thing, but for me, the better view of the statue comes from being on the water.  The reason for this is that we share a view that those immigrants, who had endured such long and treacherous sea passage in order to find a new and better life, would have seen when they first arrived in these waters.  You can almost feel the euphoria with the lapping of the waves, the first sight of land for two weeks, and a bold statement of freedom to boot.  The first immigrants to see the statue would have docked at Castle Clinton, but within a few years of its completion, the immigrant centre at Ellis Island had been established, and new arrivals had to endure a rigorous process of registration, legal and medical inspection, and in some cases detention (for example in the case of single children, until their safety could be guaranteed by way of a telegram from a relative in the US.)  Despite this process, 98% of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island eventually made their way to the US mainland - only 2% were sent back to their port of departure, usually due to disease.  The Ellis Island museum gives a succinct summary of the immigration process, the people who arrived, and the means of their arrival, but the greatest reminder is the large registry room, where desks would have once been set up, and questions asked to a constant stream of some 5,000 newcomers. After approval was granted, those with permission to leave could change money, buy train tickets for onward travel from New York, collect their baggage from the baggage room, and then take a boat on to New York City, leaving Ellis Island behind forever.

Ellis Island's Registry Room

The baggage room

We stand behind the museum and take in the stunning view of Manhattan Island.  Sure, it has changed a lot since the immigration boom of the early 20th century, but the general ethos feels the same, and anyone arriving after weeks - or months - of travel from the deepest parts of Europe would surely have felt the palpable sense of wonder and excitement that I feel, as I take in the panorama of this Land of Opportunity.  It's also a moment to pause and remember my Grandad, who I know always wanted to come to New York, but never achieved his goal.  I feel that perhaps, in looking across to the Manhattan skyline, I am in some way ensuring that some part of his dream has been fulfilled.

The Land of Opportunity: Manhattan Island from Ellis Island

Returning to the mainland and the relative shade of Battery Park, we happen upon a sculpture entitled The Immigrants.  Sculptor Luis Sanguino embodied the diversity of New York City, and the struggles immigrants faced through their journeys and in establishing new lives in the USA.  Figures include an Eastern European Jew, a freed African slave, a priest and a worker - different people with different backgrounds, coming to America with one shared goal.  Are their necks craned upwards because they too are straining for a view of Liberty?

Luis Sanguino's The Immigrants