Statue of Liberty from a ride on the Staten Island Ferry

On our trip to New York City in June my husband and I were going to meet friends in Battery Park in Manhattan for dinner in one of our favorite restaurants.  Since we were in the area a few hours early, we decided to take a walk and when we saw the sign for the Staten Island Ferry we decided to hop on and take a little cruise of New York Harbor!  It is a nice way to cool off on a hot day, and the view of Lower Manhattan is one of the best, plus it passes by the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, which are always inspirational sights to see!  The very best part of a ride on the Staten Island Ferry is that it is free! Yes, a round trip to and from Staten Island--one of the five boroughs of New York City--is free!

(all photos in this post will enlarge if clicked on)

We boarded the ferry and left the Whitehall Terminal, on its 5.2 mile run to the St. George Terminal in Staten Island.  Some interesting facts about the Staten Island Ferry: It has been operated by New York City since 1905. It carries over 22 million passengers annually, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It has an on time performance of 96 percent, making it one of the most reliable forms of mass transit. On a typical weekday, five boats make 109 trips, carrying approximately 70,000 passengers. During rush hours, the ferry runs on a four boat schedule, with 15 minutes between departures.

New York Harbor is a busy shipping, commercial and private pleasure boat location. 

This is the view of the Statue of Liberty that is visible at first.  She is a National Monument sitting on a pedestal on Liberty Island.  Her full name is Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, and she was a gift to the United States of America from the people of France in 1886.  You can read more about the people influential in history on this link.

Getting closer!

We can now also see this view of Jersey City, New Jersey, from the harbor.

As we approach the Statue of Liberty we get a good view (click on photo to enlarge it) of her golden lamp and of all the people standing on the pedestal and on line waiting to board one of the Statue Cruise boats that brings one to the island.

Emma Lazarus wrote the sonnet entitled "The New Colossus," in 1883 for an auction to raise funds for the pedestal it stands on.  Her sonnet was a tribute to the symbolism of Lady Liberty.  The poem can be read in full on a plaque inside the pedestal in the museum at the base. This is what it says:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame 

"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she

With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

 - Emma Lazarus

For the 12 million immigrants who entered through New York and the Ellis Island federal immigrant processing station, between 1892 until it closed in 1954, they certainly saw the Statue of Liberty as a welcoming sight.  The chance for a new life, new opportunities, new dreams. One of the immigrants that gazed upon her was my own grandmother and I found her name and ship she immigrated on as a young woman in the early 1900's on the Ellis Island Archive that contains passenger lists of more than 51 million immigrants, passengers, and crew members who came through Ellis Island and the Port of New York from 1892 to 1957, at this link.  Perhaps you can also find your own immigrant ancestor on this link?

When the Staten Island Ferry arrives at the St. George Terminal in Staten Island all must disembark. You can then just go through the turnstiles again in the terminal to get on the next ferry returning to Lower Manhattan. You can see Jersey City, the Statue of Liberty and then Lower Manhattan in the distance in the photo above.

A closer view of all three.

As we began our voyage back to Manhattan, I could see another ferry on its way to Staten Island.

We cruised by the beautiful Statue of Liberty again....

...and cruised closer to Manhattan.

One last look...

...and a good view of Ellis Island. It is now open as a Museum of Immigration and very worth seeing. 

I loved this view of another Staten island Ferry passing the Statue of Liberty. I can't imagine that the pilots of the ferry, or the daily passengers, ever get tired of that view.

We are now headed back to Lower Manhattan as dusk approaches, and we were anticipating our dinner that evening with friends. 

New York Harbor and the East River and Hudson River are always busy with sightseeing boats, water taxis and ferries. It's a great way to sightsee and get a different perspective of New York City from the water. If you are a really adventurous tourist, you can also take a helicopter sightseeing ride. 

We were pleased we had time to take our little free cruise and enjoy once again some of the iconic sights of New York City, especially the Statue of Liberty.

I'm linking this post to the following blog events:

Seasons, Amaze Me Monday, Blue Monday, Monday of Many Blessings, Through My Lens Monday, Mosaic Monday, Life Through the Lens Monday, Mellow Yellow Monday, Inspiration Monday, Good Random Fun, Nature Notes, Grand Social, Our World Tuesday, Ruby Tuesday, You're Gonna Love It Tuesday,Wanderful Wednesday,Wordless Wednesday, Oh My Heartsie Girl's Wonderful Wednesday, Outdoor Wednesday, Share Your Cup Thursday, Thoughts of Home on Thursday, Travel Photo Thursday, Friday Photo Journal, Skywatch Friday, Sweet Inspiration, Friday Features, Share It One More Time, Pink Saturday

Thank you to all the blog hosts!

What Hurricane Sandy Taught Me

Photo sources: various facebook pages

I've lived my entire life, almost 60 years, in New York City in the borough of Brooklyn, and never have I seen the amount of destruction that took place here from a natural disaster as I have seen from Hurricane Sandy. The wind, the rain, and the high tide surge of sea and bay waters, all combined to bring severe flooding, loss of power, fires started from electrical transformers being ripped open and gas lines exposed from houses ripped from their foundations. The loss of life is still being determined, as each day new victims are being found in their destroyed homes.

 Photo Source: Wikipedia

Manhattan is an island surrounded by water, as are the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn and Queens, which are part of Long Island.  I've been noticing for many years that the height of these waters has been rising slowly and steadily.  Call it global warming or not, the fact that the polar ice caps are diminishing is certainly having an effect on the height of waters surrounding our city. It was inevitable that a major storm would bring flooding to these areas, yet I believe that many New Yorkers never believed how high or fast these waters could rise and the damage they could cause. Hurricane Sandy brought this new reality into focus.

My husband and I brought over a few boxes and bags filled with nonperishable foods, toiletries, cleaning products and warm clothing to a local church which is collecting and distributing these items to a Brooklyn neighborhood hard hit by flood waters. The church's school is acting as a temporary shelter for families whose homes were totally destroyed. We went another day to help in the sorting and distribution of goods as we will probably keep going back as long as volunteers are needed to help.

As we drive through the streets of Brooklyn we see countless destroyed homes, cars and businesses.  The contents of flooded homes are at the curbsides, there are many uprooted trees and the lack of electricity remains in many hard-hit areas.  I felt such sorrow for all that are suffering and count my blessings that we did not sustain any damage.  My husband's office building in Lower Manhattan was severely flooded and his company informed the employees yesterday that they will not be able to return to the building for weeks, possibly months!  Luckily they will able to work from home or satellite offices in the interim.

I'm sure you have all seen the heartbreaking images on TV, and know how much the hurricane victims in various communities of New York and New Jersey need help. The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are two organizations that have been providing much-needed assistance and would welcome your donations. My husband and I have donated to both as well as local charities that are aiding victims.

I also thought about all the things this hurricane taught me:

If you are in doubt in any way about your personal safety and if you live in an area that is deemed by your local authorities as prone to damage in a hurricane or major storm, please evacuate well before the storm arrives. Nothing is as valuable as your life! There were many sad stories of people who died that stayed behind in flood-prone neighborhoods, as they wanted to protect their homes and valuables from the storm or from robberies.

Trees are deadly.  If you live in close proximity to large trees you might also consider evacuating your home or at least stay far away from rooms that could be crushed by a falling tree. Many of the deaths that occurred in Hurricane Sandy were from trees falling on houses and cars. Large trees often have shallow root systems and high winds and heavy rainfall cause them to topple. A young couple in Brooklyn who were walking their dog during the early hours of the hurricane were crushed by a falling tree.

Be prepared for the worst!  I've always been the type to heed storm warnings and I've always made sure to have flashlights and extra batteries ready. Now I would add a battery-powered radio and a battery powered cell phone charger. I have seen portable battery and hand crank radios that also charge cell phones for sale online, and I am definitely buying two of them to keep one in my house and one my car from now on. Most likely your power will fail in a hurricane and you will be without power for a long time. Keep the phone numbers of your local municipalities, electrical companies, and emergency services nearby, so you can call right away to report your outage and downed trees and get help.  If you feel there is a chance you may have flooding turn off your circuit breakers and gas lines if possible. Stay away from downed wires and do not enter flooded basement until you are sure that there is no live electrical charge in the water. As much as possible stay connected to the media during a storm--they will give out lots of valuable information as to impending changes in weather conditions and give updated warnings.  When high tide occurred during the hurricane and the greatest storm surge occurred my husband and I were very alert and ready to take precautions in case we were inundated with water.

Prepare a "Go" bag and have it easily accessible. In a satchel place fleece blankets, plastic ponchos, changes of clothing, perhaps a few packages of underwear and socks reserved to take with you in case you need to evacuate. In this bag place your hand crank portable radio/flashlight/cell charger, enough cash to last a few days, nonperishable foods like granola bars and bottled water. Keep in it a list of prescription medication information and reorder numbers, the name of your doctors and a list of any medical conditions you have, your insurance numbers and your social security numbers which you will need in case you have to file a claim.   

Fill your car's gas tanks, and get cash. There have been long lines in New York as gasoline supplies run short and gas stations have no power to run their gas pumps. Many working ATM's are also in short supply. We also have a gas tank lock on our car's gas cap as it helps deter anyone from siphoning off the gas.

Be prepared to go without outside aid for 48-72 hours or longer.  While local authorities, the Red Cross and other charities, and FEMA will respond to destructive natural disasters, it often takes many days for them to organize and map out areas of the most need.  Have lots of safe drinking water on hand--as much as possible. Fill your bathtubs, large pots, any clean container with water.  Make sure to keep a supply on a high floor of your house in case you are isolated by flooding. Fill freezer bags with drinking water and fill any gaps in your freezer with them well before the storm.   Not only will the resulting ice help keep your freezer cold if your power goes out the bags will also become a source of drinking water as they melt. Stock up on nonperishable foods that do not require refrigeration and make sure to stock some food supplies on a high floor of your home if possible. If you have an electric stove you might consider cooking a few meals ahead of the storm and have dry ice in a cooler available to store those meals in case your power goes out.

None of us ever expect to live through a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, fire, blizzard, or other natural disasters, but we should all be prepared! What would you add to the list? I'd love to have your advice in your comment. 

Sandy: A Hurricane of Epic Proportions

 Photo Source: Good Morning America Facebook page--a morning after the storm rainbow

A quick post to let you all know we survived Hurricane Sandy!  We were very fortunate that our neighborhood in Brooklyn suffered very little damage and that we still have electrical power. My brother and sister-in-law, and my three nephews that live in communities in Nassau and Suffolk Counties in Long Island are among the 90% of Long Islanders left without electrical power.

 Photo Source: The Atlantic

Much of New York City has lost electrical power...

Photo Source: The Atlantic

 ...as the storm surge poured into all the Boroughs of New York City last night it left a path of destruction.

Photo Source: The Atlantic

Do you remember my blog post (click here to read) about the charming Jane's Carousel in Brooklyn Bridge Park?  Last evening the East River overflowed its banks and it was almost submerged.  Sadly, the beautiful little neighborhood of Gerritsen Beach, that I blogged about on this post, was almost entirely destroyed by flood waters.

Photo Source: The Atlantic

The seaside communities of Breezy Point, and Rockaway, Queens (see this post) were severely flooded and suffered many fires. The community of Long Beach, Long Island, and City Island were left almost unlivable without electricity, water, and sewer service. I heard that communities in Staten Island had Katrina like rescues last night, as houses became submerged to the roofs by flood waters.  If there was one lesson learned by all with this storm is that orders of an evacuation of low lying coastal areas is important and not something to be ignored in future storms.

Except for minor basement flooding, roof and siding damage, broken tree limbs, and spotty power outages, my Brooklyn neighborhood did OK. We were so very fortunate!

My heart goes out to those whose families suffered the loss of life and property and business damage. You are in my thoughts and prayers. My sincere thanks go out to the first responders who worked tirelessly through the storm, risking their own lives to help others.

Thank you to all who e-mailed, called, and left messages on facebook to see how we were doing! I really appreciate your love, concern, and friendship!

September 11 - A Day of Remembrance

Every day in New York City we are reminded of the terrible events of 9-11. The gap in the skyline where the towers once loomed was most evident, but now there is the bustle of construction activity going on at "ground zero" where the World Trade Center complex once stood.

The construction of One World Trade Center, also known by the name Freedom Tower, has really begun to show progress as it rises into the sky, but there are many sightings everywhere in New York which make us all pause and remember.  I'd like to show a few formal memorials, community memorials, places and objects that have acquired memorial symbolism and homemade memorials made by individual New Yorkers in honor of the people that died on 9-11.

Three hundred and forty three firemen lost their live on 9-11 and many firehouses have a plaque on their wall that memorializes the firemen from that firehouse that lost their lives that day. This plaque was located outside Firehouse Engine 4 & Ladder 15, located in the Financial District, New York City at 42 South Street, in Manhattan.

The plaque is located on the wall to the left when facing the firehouse.

The 10 Truck Ladder recently on it's way to a call.  The Engine 10 Ladder 10 Company is located at 124 Liberty Street in Manhattan -- just south from where World Trade Center Tower 2 stood. It lost six firemen that day.

The outside firehouse wall  became the repository for a beautiful memorial 56 foot long brass plaque dedicated to the 343 New York City firemen that were killed in the line of duty on 9-11.

To read more information about this memorial and to see more photos of it, please read my prior blog post about it by clicking here.

Some of the companies that surrounded the World Trade Center complex lost employees in the attack and have memorials to them.  The American Express Memorial to the 11 employees the firm lost on September 11 is in the lobby of the American Express headquarters at the World Financial Center across the street from the World Trade Center site. A 600-pound, tear-shaped Brazilian quartz, carved with 11 sides (one side for each employee lost), is suspended at the center of the memorial. The quartz hangs from 11 thin cables over the center of an eleven sided black granite pool. The names of the victims are inscribed on the sides of the pool.

A close up of one of the victims name in memoriam.

This is "Angel's Circle" located in the NYC borough of Staten Island.  You can see more photos of this memorial and read the story about it on my prior blog post by clicking here.

A close up of the inscription at the bottom of the angel statue.

Staten Island was one of the hardest hit communities on 9/11, losing nearly 270 loved ones in the terrorist attacks.

I saw this touching home made memorial next to a private house in the New York City borough of Brooklyn.

Seeing the faces of the victims really increases the impact. 

A chunk of the marble facade of World Trade Center building 7, the last building to collapse from the destruction on the World Trade Center, and a lost fireman's photo attached to it, was also in the display case. The company my husband worked for at the time was located in WTC 7. Thankfully no one from his office was lost that day.

This is a memorial traffic triangle bound by Fillmore Avenue, Avenue T and East 57th Street in Brooklyn, NY.  It is one of the thousands of properties throughout the city called "Greenstreets," which belong to the Department of Transportation and are beautified by the Department of Parks. This triangle stands in testament to the life of Firefighter Gregory Saucedo. 

The plaque on the triangle explains that firefighter (1969 - 2001) lived his entire life in this neighborhood of Brooklyn, and played near this triangle as a child, often waving to the fire trucks that drove by on a call.  To read more about him go to this link.

This is another homemade memorial I spotted outside a house also in Brooklyn last 9-11. It contained 343 American flags in memory of the deceased firefighters. 

Many of the firefighters lived in the boroughs outside of Manhattan and after 9-11 there were many sad funeral processions that lined the streets while bagpipes played a mournful melody. Seeing and hearing that is a memory that I will never forget.

The Brooklyn Botanic Garden contains two long rows of Liberty Scarlet Oaks, planted in memory of 9-11.

The informational plaque about the trees.

The World Trade Center Cross, also known as The Ground Zero Cross, is composed of cross shaped steel beams, and was found amidst the debris of the World Trade Center, following the September 11, 2001 attacks. It stood at "Ground Zero" for a few years but is now off site due to construction.

A informational plaque about the cross. You can read some more about it on this post.

St. Paul’s Chapel is located on Church St. between Fulton St. and Vesey St., opposite the east side of the World Trade Center site.  This Episcopal church, was home to an extraordinary eight-month volunteer relief effort after September 11, 2001

It became known by the nickname "The Little Chapel That Stood."  You can read more about the chapel and see the photos I took of memorials inside the chapel on my blog post at this link.

I saw this sign awhile ago attached to a fence of a house in Greenwich Village neighborhood in Manhattan. It says: "If we all do one random act of kindness daily, we just might set the world in the right direction."  ~Martin Kornfeld 

I like to think of this as a response to 9-11.  Isn't it better to fill our hearts with love and positive purpose because of 9-11, than with hatred and revenge?  Wouldn't we all like to work towards making the world a better place?

That is why I am in full support of the September 11 National Day Of Service and Remembrance. This group actively encourage all Americans, and others, to voluntarily support charitable causes, perform good deeds and engage in other service activities in observance of the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. If you can't actively do a good deed or charitable work this year you can donate to a cause that you support by doing a search on this link.

We can all make a difference!  We can all do good in memory of those that perished on 9-11 and honor them in this way.

I'm linking with Beverly at the blog How Sweet The Sound for her 9-11 Memorial supplement to her usual Pink Saturday event.  Please join her on Saturday to see her post and links to all the participating blogs. Thank you Beverly!