March 31

The first ferry from The Battery to Governor’s Island was 7 AM. Those who know me do not have to guess; yes, I was on it. Need to get the day cranking. The island was the location of one of five forts/batteries built around 1810 to fortify the New York City harbor. Historians believe these forts were the reason the British never attacked New York City in the War of 1812. Fort Jay and Castle Williams remain from those days to be toured, though not right now. Both are having maintenance work performed. But I was able to walk around the perimeters, check Colonels’ Row (built between 1893 and 1917, to entice strong candidates to join the Army by providing above average housing), and meander across the Parade Grounds. Most of the remaining buildings on the island have been repurposed to support a burgeoning Arts movement. The one end of the island has trails and foliage, to help folks unwind from their worries. The NYC Transportation system handles the ferry work. You can purchase round-trip tickets on-line before you arrive.

Castle Clinton is another of those 1810 forts, though it was originally named Southwest Battery, built to hold 28 large cannons. It sits in what today is called The Battery, next to the docks which take passengers to the Statue of Liberty. But when it was constructed, there was no Battery. This fort was built out in the middle of the river channel, with a narrow bridge connecting it to land. Only after decades of New York City continuing to pour landfill into the river did the fortification become land-based. After the War of 1812, New York determined it needed a place to welcome and process new immigrants. Castle Clinton performed the task admirably, until Ellis Island came on-line. The fort was saved in the mid-20th century by a grass roots campaign, and has been returned to its look from the 1800s. But if you ask most of the visitors who walk through its doors as to whether they know it is a NPS unit or an actual fort, they will probably give you a blank look. The sole reason for their coming to the center of the complex is to buy tickets for the Statue of Liberty ferries. The park ranger who was manning the premises was doing more herding of people into the two ticket lines rather than explaining the history of the fort.

Yes, I had a ticket for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Be sure to allocate at least four hours for the full experience. Once your ticket time approaches, you have to go through metal detectors and an X-ray unit, the same system used at airports. Then you have to wait for the next ferry, followed by what seemed an eternity for 600+ people to unload. Follow that with 600+ people having to board, and only having two lines to exit/enter. The actual water time was much less. Then you have to disembark. Another line awaits you at the base of the monument, if you have a ticket which allows you to access the pedestal. And you have to repeat the X-ray screening. If you are one of the fortunate 400 per day with Crown Access on your ticket, that can add a few more minutes of waiting, depending on how many people are ahead of you. If you do want to get to the Crown, be sure to get a reservation well in advance. I saw many people being told there were no more Crown tickets today. On that point, use the NPS website for the Statue of Liberty. There will be a link to the only authorized concessionaire to the statue. Statue City Cruises is the company. But there are many 3rd-party companies who advertise on the internet for the ferry ticket. Many of them are legitimate businesses, but what they do is charge you a delivery fee in addition to the ticket. All they do is go onto the Statue City Cruises website and get a reservation for you, then add their fee. Stick with the one website.

The ferry goes in a clockwise route, stopping at Liberty, then Ellis, then back to The Battery. You can also do this from New Jersey. Those boats were almost empty compared to the NYC boats. But that may look different once the weather starts to warm. There is a nice museum in the base of Liberty, providing a history of the Lady, her design and construction, and the commercial use of her image by myriad businesses. One can take 176 stairs or an elevator to the Pedestal level. But 120+ stairs are needed for the climb to the Crown. And it is a bit of a squeeze, going up the spiral staircase. At the top, only about four people (plus the two rangers) have enough room to change places to look out the few windows. The view is towards Brooklyn, not the Upper Bay and out to the ocean. This is because the designer wanted the Lady to view boats coming and going from the port of NYC, not the ocean.

Ellis Island has just one building open for visitors, but it is an important part of the island’s history. This is the building with the Registry Room. Over 15 million people filed through this room to be processed for entry into our country. If a person who had entered this building was found to be contagious or sick, they were sent to the hospital n the other side of the docks. The hospital structures can be toured (“Hard Hat” tour), but for an extra fee and with NPS Ranger guides. The Registry Room is on the second floor, and it is quite expansive. The first floor has displays (as do wings on the second floor) and a theater, for a 30-minute movie. One wing on the first floor houses a registry system where visitors can try to find their ancestors who may have come through the island. But before any person used Ellis Island for immigration, the island was Fort Gibson, back in 1812. Great to see our government can repurpose assets over time.

Red Line 1 on the NYC subway system whisked me up to the Christopher Place stop. This line ends at The Battery, so foolproof not to wind up going in the wrong direction. Once I stepped back into the sunlight, I was standing right by the entrance to Stonewall National Monument. The Stonewall Inn became the focal point of the LGBTQ movement in 1969. Before then, the Inn was a local gathering place for hundreds, if not thousands, of LGBTQ people in the Greenwich Village area. But on June 28, 1969, a police raid of the building turned into a riot. It was illegal in 49 states to engage in homosexual acts. The police had orders to find a way to shut down the bar, either via those laws or by finding violations of liquor laws. A raid a few days earlier had only fanned building flames. When the police came back on the 28th, the community had had enough. Many of the police officers had to barricade themselves inside the inn for their safety. A famous quote after the event basically said that before the raids/riot there may have been 50 to 60 gay groups in the country, but a year after Stonewall Inn there were 1,500. The Inn is currently in the middle of a facelift. The NPS plans to open a VC in summer-2024, next door. Across the street from the inn is a small park, Christopher Park, with some benches, gardens, a number of LGBTQ flags and four sculptures of two gay couples. Park boundaries are two square blocks just to the east of the inn. Anyone looking to get a stamp for their Passport Book has to visit Castle Clinton, Federal Hall, or African American Burial.