Today, I made a special effort to wake up early because my first goal for the day was to go to Wall Street early to avoid the crowds and take a photo with the Charging Bull. Before I arrived, I had looked up information about the Charging Bull and learned that even though it was just a sculpture, it had become a symbol of Wall Street, a street that is famous for being the home of many leading financial institutions and companies around the world. Everyone wants to take a photo with this iconic bull. For those in the investing world, they probably know that the bull represents a rising market, just like a bull that is charging forward. Investors like a market that is “bullish” because the value of their stocks or assets will increase along with it. It’s not surprising that the Charging Bull sculpture is located in this financial district as a symbol of encouragement for investors. I couldn’t miss the chance to visit this famous sculpture and add some good luck to my own investment journey. 😛
When I visited the famous Charging Bull sculpture, I learned that arriving early is crucial to avoid the crowds of people who also want to take pictures with it. So, I woke up at 6:30 am, quickly got dressed, and hopped on the Subway near my hotel at Delancey/Essex St. Station. Taking the line-J train downtown and getting off at Broad St. Station, I walked down Broadway st. until I reached the southern tip of Manhattan. There, I found the Charging Bull sculpture, standing proudly at the almost-very end of the island. It was still before 8:00 am, so there weren’t too many people yet, but there was already a line forming of those hoping to capture some good luck by touching the bull’s testicles. It is a personal belief, so please use your own judgment.
In the nearby area, there was Wall Street, the hub of finance and investment institutions. I strolled around to soak up the atmosphere of being a “financial investor.” It was delightful.
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It is a personal belief, so please use your own judgment.
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I spent about 40 minutes taking photos with the Charging Bull and strolling around the area. However, my next goal was to visit the highlight of the day, the “Statue of Liberty“. I intended to get up close with the statue by going to Liberty Island. To get there, I took a ferry from Battery Park, which was located next to the Charging Bull, and it only took less than 100 meters to get to the pier.
However, I strongly recommend booking ferry tickets online in advance, especially during Hi-Season or summer, to avoid long queues. If you want to climb to the top of the statue’s crown, you may need to book several months in advance. Personally, I used the online reservation service provided by Statue Cruise, which offers various package options with different access and pricing.
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I myself chose to book a Reserve Ticket for 18.50 USD, which allowed me to cross from Battery Park to Liberty Island and Ellis Island (including entry to the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island), and return to Battery Park. Tickets purchased through the website could be paid with a credit card and could be printed with a barcode to be scanned for boarding the ferry immediately without having to queue to purchase tickets again. (Actually, Reserve Tickets and Pedestal Reserve Tickets are priced the same, but the latter allows access to the pedestal under the Statue of Liberty, which was fully booked when I tried to reserve it almost a month in advance 😦 )
The sample of the online ticket. It can be printed or saved in mobile phone and used to board the ferry
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I arrived at Battery Park early in the morning and checked in for the first ferry at 8.30 am. Check-in involved scanning my ticket and going through a security scanner, much like at an airport. The first ferry departed at 9.00 am, and I was able to check the schedule and plan my trip using the Statue Cruises website. A map of the route was also available on the website.
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After obtaining information about the trip to Liberty Island to see the Statue of Liberty up close and having the tickets in hand, I boarded the boat about 15 minutes before it departed. I went through the security check and scanning process. Once I got on the boat, I found a comfortable seat either inside or outside the boat. Since the weather was almost freezing, I chose to sit inside the boat which had some beautiful angles for taking pictures. I felt much safer being inside the boat. Moreover, there were counters selling snacks and coffee on the boat at reasonable prices, and a restroom at the back of the boat.
Battery Park – The entrance to the peir to Liberty Island at Manhattan side
The statue of liberty view from Battery park
The entrance to the pier and ticketing counters
The ticketing couters. The visitors queued before it open
The ferry and its interrior
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At around 9.00 am, I departed from the pier and arrived at Liberty Island in less than 15 minutes. The island is the home of the Statue of Liberty, the symbol of freedom for the United States of America. The statue was a gift from France to the United States to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their independence on July 4, 1876, which was 143 years ago. The statue is a colossal metal sculpture standing 46 meters tall (including the pedestal at 93 meters) depicting a female deity holding a torch in her right hand and a tablet of the Declaration of Independence in her left. The statue wears a crown of seven rays. It was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and was originally made of copper and iron with a beautiful golden-red color. However, the statue turned green due to the reaction with seawater since it is located in the middle of the bay. In 1984, the United Nations declared the Statue of Liberty as a world heritage site. Visiting the Statue of Liberty is something that everyone desires when they visit New York. It can be said that if you haven’t visited the Statue of Liberty, you haven’t really been to New York.
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I spent almost an hour strolling around Liberty Island and taking pictures of the Statue of Liberty. Then my next destination was to catch the boat (using the same ticket and boarding from the point where we landed at Liberty Island) to Ellis Island to visit the Immigration Museum. The boat ride took no more than 10 minutes. Ellis Island was the location of the Old Immigration Station, which was one of the busiest immigration checkpoints in the world from 1892 to 1954. Over 12 million people passed through this checkpoint to enter the United States. The island covers an area of approximately 27.5 acres, with the northern side housing the museum that tells the stories and processes of the immigrants and their journeys to the United States in the past. Inside the museum, there are artifacts, workspaces of the officers, and various equipment that the United States government has preserved. By walking through the museum, we can truly understand the process and hardships of passing through the immigration checkpoint as if we were there at that time.
The building of museum at Ellis Islanda
The ex-immigration hall
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I spent almost two hours walking around the museum, exploring the story of how people were screened before entering the city in the past. To be honest, even though I’m not much of a history buff, the history of this place is really interesting. The museum showed how the USA became a melting pot of different races and cultures due to the screening process for people entering the city. Besides examining documents, there was also a health screening process. Those who made it into the city were determined to find work and establish a permanent foundation. Everyone who traveled or immigrated to this place had the same hope, “Freedom.” Looking at the information and items in the museum, it is clear that this land was ready to offer true freedom to everyone.
After immersing myself in the information of the past era, I had to return to the present and move on to my next destination for the day. However, at that point, it was already midday, and my stomach was starting to grumble since all I had in the morning was just a cup of coffee and a piece of bread because I could rush to take a picture of the Statue of Liberty :-P. Then, I boarded the boat and headed back to Battery Park, which took about 20 minutes from Ellis Island.
When I arrived at Battery Park, I immediately looked for something to eat and found a Subway restaurant. I grabbed something quick and headed to my next destination of the day, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). To get to MOMA from Battery Park, I took the subway line-1 from South Ferry Subway Station and headed uptown for 14 stations to get off at 50 St – Broadway. From there, I walked another 800 meters along W54th St to arrive at MOMA. It’s open every day from 10.00 am to 5.30 pm (and until 9.00 pm on Thursdays and Fridays). Admission to MOMA can be purchased online or at the entrance counter for $25 USD per person.
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I visited the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in the heart of Manhattan, which was founded on November 7, 1929. It is one of the largest modern art museums in the world, and has a tremendous influence on contemporary art. The museum houses a diverse collection of art, including architecture, design, painting, sculpture, photography, print media, film, and electronic art. In my opinion, the museum provides artists with a great deal of freedom to express themselves, which is reflected in some of the artworks that may not initially seem like “art,” but upon closer inspection, are quite fascinating. However, due to the freedom granted to the artists, some of the works are quite “intense” and “provocative,” with themes stemming from war, crime, and violence. Thus, it is important to approach the art with a discerning eye.
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I attempted to explore every room, every section, and every corner of the art museum. I walked around until nearly 4pm, but I’m not sure if I managed to see every piece on display because there were so many. I spent a full two hours here before deciding to bid farewell to the MOMA and head to another New York landmark, the Flatiron Building. I took the subway line-F from 23rd Street Station and headed downtown to 53rd Street Station before walking towards 5th Ave and crossing E 23rd St, where I finally spotted the building that looked like a flatiron and knew I had reached my final destination of the day.
The Flatiron Building (or another name, the Fuller building) was built in 1902 and located on a triangular island between 5th Ave and E 22nd St, meeting at 23rd St, which is one of the three main roads surrounding the building. People commonly refer to this area as the “Flatiron District“, named after this building, and it has become one of the symbols of New York City. If you’ve ever seen the movie “John Wick“, you might notice that the design and location of the Continental Hotel are very similar to the Flatiron Building.
Flatiron Building
Source : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatiron_Building
Continental Hotel from the film : John Wick
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In the Flatiron district, there were a lot of tourists taking pictures of this cool building, but there wasn’t much else to see or do in this area. Mainly, I just came here to take pictures.
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I spent a short time at Flatiron, about 15 minutes, to take photos and walk around to soak up the atmosphere on a rainy day before it turned dark. After that, I stopped by to grab some food nearby before heading back to the hotel around 5.00 pm.
Today was another day where I lived life doing things I had never done before, in a place I had never been, and in an atmosphere that cannot be found anywhere else in this world. Today was like I traveled through time, from the past to the present, learning about how people migrated to USA, their hopes for freedom and security, through visiting Liberty Island and Ellis Island. I then explored the world of today through art that reflects different situations, which were presented freely at the MOMA. I ended the day by soaking up the atmosphere of one of New York’s landmarks, Flatiron, which made me realize that our freedom does not just mean the freedom to live, but also the freedom of the mind and thoughts. The most important thing is that “Our freedom is at the tip of our nose, whether we choose to find it and use it in our lives or not.“…..It was a good day 🙂
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Written by : SHIPY SIWARIT TIASUWATTISETH
Shipy-Ship 