We took the Liberty Island Ferry out to see the great lady. It was fun to be on the water, not quite on the ocean but in New York harbor. Spending about an hour, we took a lot of pictures of this gift from France. We've all seen pictures of her, but to see her in person, she is quite a sight. Another 10 minute ferry ride brought us to Ellis Island. Jeff, our guide, gave a magnificent talk on immigration and what it means to us many generations later. Some of us know that our ancestors came through this gateway before their final boat ride into Manhattan years and years ago. The Great Hall is a huge room where it served as a holding tank to the hundreds of thousands who passed through the immigration officers. I was completely taken back when the students on the 1-2-3 cue from Jeff sang a resplendant "Happy Birthday" with others in the hall joining in. A very sweet moment.
90 minutes was not enough for this immigration story. However, our bus and driver Kenny was waiting at Battery Park and we were off for a quick tour of China Town where we were given 30 minutes to walk up and down Mott Street taking in the sights, sounds and faces of this community. We again boarded our bus and drove by Ground Zero where the new buildings for the World Trade Center memorial are in progress of being built. A moving sight.
After a quick stop to get our luggage at the Skyline Hotel, we were off to LaGuardia airport in Queens. Our trip was coming to an end. One more time we did the security thing and it wasn't quite as frightening as it had been the first time. We need to remember it is all to keep us safe.
The plane ride was smooth all the way home to Minneapolis and we scurried to get our luggage and on the bus for the last leg home to Cook. A fitting end to the trip was our driver was Cook High School graduate Rodney Anderson (class of '93!), another former student!
A sigh of relief when the bus pulls into the school driveway at 12:30am. 23 students had left and 23 students had returned but I believe 23 memories had also been made. I am proud of our students and the work they did to make the trip possible. I thank their parents for their trust in me to take them on an adventure of such magnitude. May their be more adventures yet to come in your life!
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