Ellis Island
Time: 2-3 hours depending on your interest. 3 hours if you eat lunch
Ages: Older Teenagers and up
Cost Category: Any Given Sunday
Overview
For the Fourth of July weekend Abby asked to do the most patriotic thing I could think of, and we took a boat ride to Ellis Island. The trip is only recommended for people who have an interest in this type of history or want to trace their family origins. I was surprised she asked to go, but she had recently taken a school field trip and was moved. However, don’t take your kids; it will be lost on them. While I enjoyed myself and did learn a thing or two about why people came to the United States, the next trip will definitely be without her. Love you kid, but this one needs to be an adult trip.
Packing List
• Water bottle (a must for NYC) • Sunscreen (always a good practice) • Outside food (optional. See the food section and lessons learned) • Snacks are always good
Transportation
There is only one way to get to Ellis Island and that is through the authorized Statue City Cruises. There are a couple of ticket options available. We chose the basic option that gives you the chance to visit the Statue of Liberty as well, but we didn’t go there on this trip. The other option is a hard hat tour for Ellis that will give you the chance to see the historical hospital complex. It is adult only so we could not go. Also, it is $162/person so there is also that.
To get to the boat dock, the subway is easiest. The 4 or 5 go there. Take either of them to Bowling Green station and head up. When you exit the station there are tour guides who will direct you to where you need to go. If you need a landmark to help you with searching on google maps, use either Statue City Cruises, Sea Glass Carousel, or Clinton Castle. I recommend using the Sea Glass Carousel simply because it is lovely, with no kids needed, and something you should take the time to do.
Tickets
You can buy your tickets online ahead of time, scan the QR code once you get there, or stand in line to purchase in person. The ticket booth is in Clinton Castle. There are restrooms there also. Tickets are $26 for adults and $17 for kids 12 and under for the basic trip. Also, while the tickets do appear to be timed, I think as long as there is space on the boat they will not care when you go. https://statuecitycruises.com/tickets
The Boat Ride
Before you can get on the boat, you do need to go through an airport like security screening. We did not have to take off our shoes or discard any liquids. There is also no shade while you are waiting to board the boat.
The boat ride itself is lovely. We opted for the lowest deck as it is closest to the entrance/exit. They sell light snacks, drinks (no alcohol), and souvenirs on the boat. I can’t complain about the prices of any of the items. They were in line with NYC and didn’t seem excessive by NYC standards. The boat stops at the Statue of Liberty first. Once it leaves for Ellis, get your camera ready, because you will get a fantastic view of the Statue. The total time of the trip to the Island is probably about 20 minutes and about 10-15 for the ride back.
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
The only feature of the Island that you can tour without the special pass is the museum and there are opportunities for it to improve. You can see they are trying to implement them, but it will not be fast. So, again, unless you have an interest in this specific type of history you may be disappointed. I happen to love NYC history, so I want to go back without the 10-year-old and possibly take the hard hat tour. It is definitely not for everyone though. Audio tours are available, and I think that would have improved our experience.
Many of the historic items have been removed for modernization, which is fair, but there are some that they could have left. I will get to those. When you enter the museum, you enter the Baggage Area where people dropped their luggage. Had Abby not told us this, we would have had no idea. When she went, the original benches were there but have since been removed for an installation that was in progress. In that room as well is a Park gift shop that seemed like an afterthought and was confusing because there is also an Ellis Island gift shop in a separate area.
If you keep walking straight you can find computers at the back where you can look up your family and find the location of the panel on which they are listed. We never found the panels, and I feel like we walked most of the museum. The map provided made them seem like they were very close to the computers, but we missed them. I am still a little lost on what the purpose of the exhibit was. If you go to the left instead of walking to the back, you will eventually find a room where you can find more detailed information on a person’s immigration through Ellis. There is a charge of $10/30 minutes. Since none of our families came through the island we opted to skip it.
On the second floor is the Registry. Aside from a couple of podiums on one side, the room is empty. I would never have appreciated what the experience was actually like had we not gone up the third floor and found pictures. I really think, even if it is a replication, it would do the room justice to install the furniture so visitors can grasp the cattle like way in which the future Americans first experienced the country. The experience would be really brought to life and made it feel much more real.
The Third floor are the doctor’s offices, which are locked and not labeled, and again a missed opportunity to feel the experience. Even one open office closed off by plexiglass would be sufficient. Had Abby not told us what they were, we would not have known. One thing that was very cool and a fun find on that floor were two pillars in front of the Bob Hope Library that had graffiti on it from the original immigrants. That was cool to see. There is also a lovely exhibit nestled away on the opposite end from the library that showed the evolution of the island and items the immigrants brought with them. That area was empty and easily missed but worth the time.
Food
Cost: About $80 for two adults and one child.
We ate lunch at one of two eateries on the Island and it was fine. Being that it was near the 4th of July which guarantees a strangely hot weekend, we chose to eat at the indoors and well air-conditioned Ellis Café. The food is standard American fare with a few interesting hamburger and panini options. Jose got chicken tenders, fries, onion rings, and a pineapple mango smoothie, Abby had the junior chicken tenders and fries, and I got the vegan burger and the mango peach refresher.
The food gets mixed reviews. Jose and Abby loved their food with the chicken tenders being described as some of the best they ever had, the onion rings got rave reviews, and the French fries got thumbs up as well. I cannot figure out what I did not enjoy about my veggie burger, maybe it was the bun or maybe it was the patty, but there was something in the texture that made it…. different. The flavor was very good, but the texture element means I will skip it if we go back. The drinks got mixed reviews; I enjoyed the refresher and Jose enjoyed the smoothie, but Abby hated them both. I thought the smoothie was disgustingly sweet, and Jose thought the refresher wasn’t sweet enough.
FYI: There were people there who brought their own food and were eating it in the dining room. The staff didn’t fuss so if you do have special dietary needs that are best accommodated with outside food you should not have issues. • View Menu (PDF)
Gift Store
We visited both gift shops and they do have different focuses. If you are more of a purist like me and get annoyed that there are Statue of Liberty souvenirs on Ellis Island, stick to the parks gift shop. If you are okay with both, go to the Ellis Island gift shop by the café; it is bigger and has more interesting items for sale.
Accessibility
Naturally, the island is ADA compliant, and accommodations are available for most people. What I think is worth noting is that there is not a specific quiet room for any overstimulated individuals. While the traditional triggers for overstimulation, large crowds, loud noises, too many smells, etc., are not present, we all know that meltdowns can happen at any point. The stairways are fairly underutilized so they might be a good area to step away. There was also a section near the elevator on the third floor that was somewhat secluded and could be a good spot for recovery. https://statuecitycruises.com/plan-your-visit/accessibility
Lessons Learned
There are a couple of things that I would do differently. In case you didn’t pick up on it, I would not bring the kid. The topics are very adult and unless there is a specific interest, take them to the statue and skip the island.
Next, and this is a personal preference so not a definite necessary change, was around lunch. I would probably stop and eat before I head over or bring my food. The food at the café was fine and not excessively priced for NYC, but we had to eat there because it was the only choice and the family was starving. I would also skip the drinks and keep it to water to save a decent chunk of change.
Making a Day of It
Agenda One
Time: About 6-7 hours
• Statue of Liberty; note a 2 month lead time for crown tickets • Lunch at either island; it is the same menu at both. I might save it for Ellis as it is probably less crowded. • Ellis Island • Sea glass carousel (always recommend this)
Agenda Two
Time: 6-7 hours
• Ellis Island Tour in the morning • Seaglass carousel because it is beautiful and right there • Lunch off the island: Fraunces Tavern, The Coney Shack in the Hungry Pearl Food Hall, White Horse Tavern, Cava, Sweetgreen, Los Tacos #1 • Visit the Charging Bull • Walk to see Wall Street and Fearless Girl. • Walk to the 9/11 memorial and museum • Cross the West Side highway to access Brookfield place for dinner options. • Walk the tunnel to the Oculus and trains to home/hotel
