13.6.09 Ellis Island

13.06.2009
Ellis Island

Today I went to the south of Manhattan with Harald (from Austria), to visit Ellis Island and Liberty Island. The tickets were 12$, included are the ferries to the islands and the museum on Ellis Island. Not included was going into the crown of the Statue of Liberty (which opend today, it was closed a long time). But for that day were no more tickets available, when we were there at 10:00 a.m.
We had to wait in a long line, which took about one hour. After the security check we went to Liberty Island by ferry. It was very good, but I had imagined it bigger than it was. We took some fotos and went to Ellis Island. This was the really interesting part of today. The museum was really good. We saw a movie at first. In the museum they told us what it was like to be an immigrant at Ellis Island and we could see many original exhibits, many pictures and a lot to read. So we spent a lot of time there, after we went back to Manhattan. After that we took the ferry to Staten Island (which is free), but just for the ride. We had an excellent view to the skyline of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We didn't stay in Staten Island, because there is nothing special to see.
In the late afternoon we were in the Financial District. We were in the Museum of American Finance. It was free, because we were there 30 minutes before closing. This time was enough, which doesn't mean that the museum wasn't good. They showed some historical exhibits from the New York Stock Exchange and there were videos about the trading at the NY Stock Exchange. After that we saw the New York Stock Exchange itself, some historical houses next to it, the Trinity Church and the Trinity Yard. 
The weather was good most of the time. There was some rain in the afternoon, but is was very warm all the time. This June is not very typical, because last Wednesday we had had more rain than normal for the whole June. I think most of it was at night, when there were thunderstorms in New York.
Very new to me is how open the New Yorkers are. Very often the ask for my name and where I was from and start a small talk, although they have never seen me before and won't ever see me again. 
Today I bought the book "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell and I think I will start reading tonight.