2025 Volendam, New York, New York, USA...

New York, New York, I woke up to the city that never sleeps at 4 am. I dressed for it and loved our sail by the Statue of Liberty in all her glory. Ann, Cathy and I got off to the ship and were met by our driver/guide Remo for a tour to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Remo picked us up at Pier 90 and we drive along the lower Manhattan waterfront. We parked and walked through Battery Park to Clinton Castle to get our tickets for the ferry ride to Liberty Island. Castle Clinton is a national monument and the last of a series of forts which, from the Dutch settlement of 1624, guarded lower Manhattan, this structure was built by the United States in the years 1808 to 1811. It was one of the important defenses of New York Harbor during the War of 1812 period and named in honor of Gov. DeWit Clinton in 1815. Next, we boarded the boat for Liberty Island home of the Statute of Liberty. The boat ride offered a great opportunity to photograph the grand lady and the skyline of the city. The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and democracy. It was a gift from France to the United States in 1886 to celebrate their friendship. The statue stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. It holds a torch in its right hand and a tablet with the date of American independence in its left hand. The Statue of Liberty welcomes people arriving by sea and represents hope for a better future. On the island we walked along the perimeter giving us a great view of the New York Skyline. We spent about an hour touring the island then boarded a boat for Ellis Island. Ellis Island, located in New York Harbor, was the main U.S. immigration processing center from 1892 to 1954, where over 12 million immigrants were processed there approximately 40% of Americans may be descended from these immigrants. Most immigrants entered the United States through the Port of New York and the great steamship companies like the White Star, Red Star, Cunard, Holland America and Hamburg-America Lines played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration as a whole. At the Wall of Names, I found a number of Herlihy’s, my mother’s maiden name. We thoroughly enjoyed our day of touring these iconic New York sites and had wanted to visit them for some time. Thanks to Remo for an excellent tour and the beautiful 80-degree weather today. We are now off on a five-day crossing to the Mediterranean…first stop Punta Delgado in the Azores.