NYC Day 3: Wall Street, Little China, and Little Italy

In NYC, it’s very common that signs were written in English and Spanish (many Mexicans and Puerto-Ricans there). And some signs were of course also in German! After all, the Germans are every where in the world 🙂 Following was sign at the youth hostel.

The Youth Hostel

Now heading to Wall Street. As usual, it was commute time…

See there, the street vendors. Reminds me on Jakarta 🙂

A breakfast at Au Bon Pain and I took a Chocolate Chip Muffin…Yummy!!

Mobile offices

On the rear of every police car

Hmmm???

Area closed due to movie making

Also no access to the Charging Bull (the Bull of Wall Street)

Just walking along…

The Trinity Church

The Trinity Root

The old cemetery of Trinity Church. It was very quiet. The quietness in the middle of fast-pace world of Wall Street.

And the surrounding…

Inside the church…

Walking down the Wall Street…

Never ever give up! Where there is a will there is always a way!

Wall Street…

The Fed

Just walking around…

The WTC Site

Century 21 – you can get discounted brand items at this dept store.

Made in India

Heading to St Paul’s Chapel – A church that has survived many many disasters

The FDNY

A group of Colombians – Like other Latinos,  they were very cheerful and it was still at noon. I couldn’t imagine in the evening 🙂

In front of the St Paul’s Chapel

St Paul’s Chapel

To be continued..

NYC Day 2: Liberty Island, Ellis Island, and Financial District

The programs for today were Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

The day had to be begun with good (healthy 🙂 ) breakfast. Based on the hint from the youth hostel receptionist, I had my breakfast at the nearby Broadway Bagel, located about two blocks from the hostel.

I ordered a “Continental” menu. And see what I got! Stuffed scrambled egg, pancakes including maple syrup, orange juice, and a coffee. Very delicious and all for about 10 USD!

After breakfast, using subway heading to South Ferry, Manhattan’s most southern station. It’s commute time.

Arriving in South Ferry Station

Around Battery Park: a church between modern skyscrapers

The Battery Park

During my stay in NYC, I had never seen a rat. Not a single time. But there were rabbits…a lot!

Liberty Statue, taken from the Battery Park

Very tight security. Taken in front of Clinton Castle, where the tickets sold

After passing security clearings, finally on the deck. The skylines of New Jersey.

And of course, the skylines of Wall Street

The Lady of Liberty, the symbol of kinship and freedom. It’s the symbol of immigrants. Like many Americans say: “There are no foreigners in the USA. We are all Americans! Blacks, Indians, Whites, Asian, Hispanics, they are all Americans! At the time you get your US citizenship, my friend, you are American! We are strong because of our mixed-up cultures and societies. And we are proud of it!”

And of course a poem contribute to the Lady of Liberty by Emma Lazarus, called “The New Colossus”:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!

Statue of Liberty and a pigeon

Statue of Liberty

Manhattan from Liberty Island Park

Queuing to pass security screenings. It was more than an hour queuing!

The security officer was joking around with the girls. Forget such screen in old Germany, where the security officers as stiff as robots

Inside the tent.

The Mother of Exiles

The torch replica

An interesting note on the toilet door

In the museum…

A view to Manhattan

A view to New Jersey with the Ellis Island on the foreground

Manhattan, New Jersey, and Ellis Island

The stair to the crown. Yes, you need a special ticket in order to the crown. No, I didn’t get it

Me and the Statue of Liberty

Now, heading to Ellis Island. Again queuing…

Some tens of years ago, the ship was full of immigrants, now it is full of tourists

Ellis Island

Full of “immigrants”…

The main building

Inside the museum

The tree of American language. It is a mixed-up from other languages. The World Tree of “Ethnic Americanisms”

The registry room

America

Leaving the homeland

The American Dream

And of course the old country tried to hold its own people through (as usual “nasty”) propaganda

A collection of passports of immigrants

“Mit 100 Marks nach Amerika”

Many ways lead to America…

There were a lot of jobs in the new vast land.

Unrestricted Immigration against underpaid labor!

Due to World War 1, anti immigrants feeling grew and grew…

The immigrants brought their own languages and cultures. They enriched the culture and the language of their new home.

The immigrants were now the new Americans

Outside of the museum

Heading back to Manhattan

And this is one of our welcome committee: the Obama Condoms. Yes, we can, baby 😉

A memorial for the fallen American soldiers during World War 2

The Sphere

Ok, enough with the museums and monuments. Now the time for $$$ 🙂 No money no fun 🙂

We are entering the heart of world’s economic: the NYC Financial District, the home of NYSE and the Fed, and hundreds of other most important institutions.

US Custom House

A short pit-stop at Giuliano’s and had a stuffed double pizza as the lunch. I couldn’t find such pizza in Germany. It was very delicious as long as fat and cholesterol didn’t matter for you 🙂  And it was only 5,45 USD! There were so many Germans that worked for a living at Wall Street. And yes, I got some chit-chats with them. They were all very happy with NYC and their life now and would never go back to the old country…

Road to NYSE: closed for motorized vehicles! And many many heavily armed policemen…

The New York Stock Exchange

The Federal Hall

George Washington

The NYPD Emergency Service. At soon as the siren is on, it’s better you give them enough place. You do not want your rear look ugly…very ugly, do you? And yes, they are well prepared 🙂

Wall Street and The Trinity Church. As I said before, there were many heavy armed officers.

The Trinity Church

Heading to World Trade Center Site

WTC Site

Heading to Grand Central Terminal, a creative street artist. Very nice percussion music…

Grand Central Terminal…guarded by heavily armed US Army

Heading to Times Square and see there the launch of One Drop Foundation, a foundation that fights for water preservation. There were dancings and the bilboards were turning blue and showing One Drop ad.

The bilboard of M&M’s Times Square

Enough for today…going back to the hostel…

An opera before bedtime…