We took a bite...

...out of the big apple!

After Van came to Texas for an Aggie game, I flew back to Washington D.C. with him. He took the next few days off to take me to New York City, a place I'd never been. We rode Amtrak, and I really enjoyed it. And I was surprised to learn that this Amtrak train ran on electricity. We caught the train at the beautiful Union Station in DC, and we carried our luggage onto the train with us. The train is much roomier than the airliner-- the aisle, the seats, the leg room, and they even offered free WiFi so I was able to do some work on the three hour trip. 

Van right after we boarded the train.

Van took this picture at Grand Central Station in NYC

We visited Grand Central Station in NYC, even though our train arrived at Penn Station.

That's me in my most becoming photo of the trip riding the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. An advantage to going in cold November is that the crowds were a lot smaller. I enjoyed listening to all of the different languages of the people visiting Lady Liberty that day. We probably heard English spoken the least. People from around the world visit our symbol of freedom. We may take it for granted, but others don't. 

Seeing the Statue of Liberty had never been on my bucket list because I'd seen it so many times on television and in pictures, but it's so awe-inspiring in person. She's much taller than I realized. Do you see the tiny line of dots at the top of the pedestal just below the statue's hem? Those are people's heads on the observation deck. Van and I walked up 192 steps to that viewing area, and I survived! 

This is Ellis Island; I snapped a quick photo, and didn't notice the two photo bombers in the middle of the picture until I loaded it up on the computer. : ) Love it!

The museum on Ellis Island

Can you imagine leaving everything you ever knew to come to a new country with all your hopes and dreams for a new future? I'm glad my ancestors had the courage to come in order to build a better life for their children and grandchildren and on down the line. My family has so much to be thankful for, and I'm so grateful my ancestors chose the United States of America to immigrate to. 

The view of the New York City skyline from Ellis Island; One World Trade Center towers over it.

I'm so glad we went.