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Immigration Vacation: Ellis Island

Posted August 18, 2010 by Patrick Young, Esq.
Categories: New York

I made my sixth trip to Ellis Island recently. This time, I brought my sister Barbara, my 17-year-old niece Alice, and my sister’s friend Will, along with my son Tim. Barbara is a teacher at a school in south Florida with a largely Haitian student body. Will is a Cuban refugee who arrived in the United States when he was three. Both of them asked me to take them to the island that symbolizes so much of the American dream.

Of course, Ellis Island is the classic location for an Immigration Vacation. What site could be more iconic? But there is a lot more than symbolism at work here. Ellis Island has a great immigration museum and moving exhibits.

First off, there is the issue of how to get to Ellis Island. Most people go by ferry from the Battery in Lower Manhattan. May I present an alternative?

I like to go by way of Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Heresy, I know, but the boats are a lot less crowded coming and going. Here is a map showing the location:

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Leaving from the Battery does have a couple of significant advantages. First, Castle Clinton was the original Ellis Island. It was New York’s first immigration station and is worth a visit. Also, while the lines can be long, there are often buskers out to entertain you.

A Liberty State Park departure offers a ferry terminal/train station that was used by the millions of immigrants heading west and south from Ellis Island. It is, in itself, an historical site.

Whichever way you choose to go, you can get your tickets here. The fare includes passage to both Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, although, post-9/11 the Liberty entrance requirements need to be carefully studied if you want to go there. We had wanted to go to the crown, but found that crown tickets now need to be purchased about two months ahead of time. Buying your tickets on-line will save you an average of 15 minutes at the pier.

People always ask me how old a child has to be to enjoy Ellis Island. Unless you have a daughter who is really into the American Girls series of books, I would not recommend taking kids under 11 or 12. On the other hand, teens seem to love the museum. As my 17 year old niece Alice assured me, “They won’t be bored.”

She said that for people her age, “We know that there is an immigration controversy going on today, so it was so interesting to see how far back the same arguments go.”

When you arrive at Ellis Island, look for the information counter right away. There you will find a listing of movies, tours, and special events that day. Almost everything is free with admission. I strongly suggest you go on the ranger tour. The guidance is excellent. The tours last about 40 minutes.

There are also special programs, like watching a simulated immigration court proceeding, that you will find enlightening.

The hundred year old building itself is magnificent. [Alice Young Pictures]

You can visit a museum on the first floor examining the populating of the United States through immigration. There is a lot of emphasis on contemporary immigration here. Even in an age of ready internet availability, the giant map of the US where you can find out every last place where a community of a certain ethnic group lives still draws a crowd. The exhibits are excellent.

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Photo showing historic immigragtion trends. Note that peak immigration was in the early 1900s. [Alice Young Pictures]

The upper floors contain displays looking closely at the immigrants who came through Ellis, from the factors that pushed them out of the old country to the lives they built in the US. My group, used to hearing about the “dangers of bilingualism,” was surprised to see bilingual sample ballots dating back a hundred years and newspapers, signs, and posters in languages from Yiddish to Mandarin. Surprisingly, the ancestors of many of today’s anti-immigrant tea partiers did not know English when they arrived here and didn’t learn our language for quite awhile.

The funniest, and saddest, room is filled with anti-immigrant propaganda. How many of our great-grandparents, who sacrificed everything to come here, were met with intolerance and abuse? Just like today!

Finally, one of the unexpected pleasures of Ellis Island is that it has a decent lunch counter, and the picnic area outside the main building affords a million dollar view of the city. Most food items are edible and ethnic, and the prices are not nearly as bad as those at some other New York City attractions.