Day 1 by Anna

 

One of the activities we did today was take a ferry out on the Hudson River. We went past Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and underneath the Brooklyn Bridge. Despite the fact that we could not hear the recording on the boat telling us about what we were seeing, the hour long trip was a neat experience for our group. There were two cranes on the island near the Statue of Liberty, and a few workers repairing the island. Although we could not go on the island, we had a good view of the statue from the boat. The boat was heeling noticeably as people lined up against the railing to get a closer view of the statue. Once past the statue, we made our way under the Brooklyn Bridge, then turned around and went back the way we came. As we docked, it was hard to get off the ferry because every time the boat hit a big enough wave it would knock against the dock and throw everybody off balance. A couple of us  managed to get off right as a big wave came up onto the dock as a result of the ferry, and our feet got soaked. Walking around Lower Manhattan helped to dry them off after as we got pictures of the Bronze Bull and the statue of George Washington. Later, we ate at Katz’s Deli, which was a very different experience. There was a big crowd of us all trying to order, since there are no lines. After we got our food, we sat down and ate while looking at all of the pictures on the wall of the famous people who had eaten there. The group picture at the end was a disaster waiting to happen (which it thankfully never did) as people stood up on chairs and crowded close together to get in the picture. It was a very satisfying day after the hours of driving in the bus.