Quick trip to New York

Last weekend Jason and I flew up to New York to surprise Jonathan and see him play in the Army-Navy soccer game on Friday. It was broadcast on national television and Jonathan got some quality playing time. It was sort of rainy and I had a hard time getting good pictures, but here are a few below.......

Jonathan played outside midfield.....Army ended up beating Navy 1-0. This makes three years running that Army has come out on top. Go Army, beat Navy!
On Saturday we drove to New Jersey and caught the ferry to Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. Here is a picture of the train station where newly arrived immigrants met friends and family and caught trains bound for every part of the country. However on this day we were going the opposite direction......

We waited for the ferry outside the train station. I loved the gray texture of the pier, the skyline and the seagulls swooping in.
Once we boarded the ferry, this was the view looking back towards the city.
Here's a view of Ellis Island.

Even the gloomy day couldn't hide the history and beauty of all that Ellis Island and America represent for so many people. Not perfect, not pristine but full of beautiful ideals and hope.
This is the great room where the newly-arrived immigrants underwent a medical and legal inspection before being admitted to America.

Each person that made the journey to Ellis Island had their own story. Here are pictures of some of the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island during the peak of migration.
In addition to the historical information about Ellis Island, there were displays on immigration trends and statistics. Here's a moving wall that has pictures of immigrants that flip to reveal the American flag.

After stopping at Ellis Island we took the ferry around the Statue of Liberty. The rain was coming down too hard to get a clear picture.

This is my absolute favorite picture from our trip. While standing on deck taking pictures of the Statue of Liberty, I saw a schoolkid wearing a Statue of Liberty foam hat striking the quintessential Liberty pose. There he was, one single child, and oblivious to the fact that anyone was looking on as he joined the ranks of participation in the American tradition.

Here are Jason, Jim, Sherry and Jonathan at West Point before we headed back home. It was a whirlwind trip but definitely worth it!