December has a weird series of unfortunate anniversaries in a row: the 6th is the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre (how do you explain that one to your kids?); the 7th is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor (not as immediate for our generation, but an event very much on a scale with 9/11 for its time), and today, December 8, the anniversary of John Lennon’s murder. A week ago I was in New York City with my son and we happened across the Lennon memorial in Central Park.
This mandala is in Strawberry Fields, a part of Central Park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon.
It’s a beautiful spot with signs encouraging people to be quite and contemplative when they enter the area. And that is just one of the things we saw.
We had a couple of lovely days in New York City. It really is a great place to go with your kids. We visited the American Museum of Natural History, the High Line ( a park built on an abandoned above ground railway), the Chelsea Market, Times Square, the World Trade Center site (nothing to see there right now), Ellis Island and, yes, we visited the Statue of Liberty.
Approaching the Statue of Liberty.
Security for the Statue of Liberty is like going through security at an airport. Although the trip to the statue and Ellis Island should only take a couple of hours in total, the Lonely Planet guide suggests you plan on it taking the whole day. It was not arduous, but we agree with them. When all was said an done, most of the day was gone.
The statue from up close. It's an impressive colossus (and was inspired by the Colossus of Rhodes, a giant statue from ancient times)
There is an excellent museum inside the base of the statue showing the history of the design and construction. It’s quite a story. After spending a few enjoyable hours in an around the statue, we hopped back on the ferry for the next stop: Ellis Island, the point of entry for millions of immigrants to the United States for many years. It is now a beautiful museum.
Ellis Island with the Manhattan skyline in the background
Inside the Ellis Island immigration centre.
The American Museum of Natural History was another highlight: and a superb place to bring your kids. the exhibits are designed to engage visitors of all ages. We loved the dinosaurs and, the Hayden Planetarium is a must see!
Yes, "A Night at the Museum" was filmed here. A great hook if your kids are reluctant to go!
If you do go, make sure you visit the section on ocean life. It is a HUGE room, with numerous fascinating exhibits, including a life-size model of a blue whale suspended from the ceiling. You have to see it in person to appreciate the size and beauty of the creature (even if it’s not real).
This is, admittedly, a terrible photo of the blue whale, but the real thing is worth seeing.
I love Toronto and I think our city has no end of great things to do and see, but it’s nice to see some of the world’s other great cities from time to time, and it was a wonderful experience for my son.
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