My Motorcycle Adventures: EAST COAST USA (DAY NINE)

Today we decided to play "tourist" and go to a couple of the icons of the New York experience; The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and The 911 Memorial.
We had booked the 11:00 am ferry to see Lady Liberty so we had to be on our way by 10:00. Not sure about the lunch facilities we stopped at a neighbourhood deli for a couple of freshly prepared sandwiches. Erin had a tuna and pepper jack cheese and I had the pastrami. Yum!! After a short walk to the subway we were at the ferry docks just before 11:00 but got caught up in the intense, airport-like security check. I now always travel with a pocket knife which I find very handy especially on this trip. They gave me a choice of surrendering it to them and not getting it back or taking it back to the car or hotel and taking a later ferry assuming you are a tourist. I explained that I had neither a car or a hotel and asked if I could take it outside and hide it somewhere to retrieve on my return. A very nice young security agent walked me outside and allowed me to find a hiding spot and then brought me back in without requiring me to go to the end of the line. The process took maybe ten minutes and amazingly my knife was waiting for me when we returned. What was really hilarious was we found another knife that had been left in the same place by another tourist.
Once aboard the ferry we headed up top to get the best view of the New York skyline and the Statue as the ferry approached the island.

We both had to get in the picture as the Statue grew closer.

The Statue of Liberty is really an imposing structure built around a steel framework the thick copper skin has developed a beautiful green patina over the years from oxidation.

This attraction brings people from all corners of the globe and during the summer tourist season the ferries run every 15 minutes and they are always full. We wanted to climb up into the torch which has a observation deck at the base of the flame but the tickets for this were sold out until October 2015.
We both were getting tired, hot and hungry so we found a cool shaded area on the grass to enjoy our deli lunch.
Next up was Ellis Island which was the port of entry for all foreign immigrants entering the US.

The large building in the above photo was where 12 million immigrants passed as they became American citizens. These are photos of the inside of the great hall where each immigrant received a very brief medical inspection and were questioned about their origin and family history. Of the millions that arrived here only 2% were rejected usually for health reasons.

Although we were both getting very tired we noticed that The 911 Memorial and the new World Trade Center Tower were only a few blocks from the ferry docks back at the foot of Manhattan. Being that close we decided to check it out.
Knowing that nearly 3000 people were killed on this very spot made this a rather sombre experience.