"Manhattan - reaching for the stars "--
Susan Scott from Garden of Eden Blog
Promised Land for Immigrants
- For over fifty years Ellis Island in Upper New York Bay was the processing point for millions of immigrants coming to the United States in search of new opportunities, freedom from oppression, or to join relatives already living in the country. These immigrants were in search of a promised land that they had heard wonderful stories about. Manhattan was often the gateway to this promised land.
- With the Statue of Liberty in near proximity to them, the new arrivals could see the Manhattan skyline as they awaited clearance by the immigration authorities. The screening process would usually take a few hours, but sometimes if medical problems or some other complications were discovered, the time spent on Ellis Island could be weeks or longer.
Tourists who visit the Statue of Liberty typically will stop over at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum to spend some time looking at the exhibits available there. There are a number of film and multimedia presentations about the history of the island as well as the millions of immigrants who passed through its gates. Anyone who takes the boat ride to Liberty Island should make Ellis Island a part of their visit.
Promised Land for Americans
For a kid living in an Air Force town in Georgia, Manhattan was the promised land, full of adventure, learning and a glamorous life.
I never made it to Manhattan except on vacation to see the Rockettes at Radio Music Hall. I rode a bus, subway and ate an overpriced sandwich which was very good.
Manhattan still holds the dream for anyone who was born wanting to write or create. I try not to think too hard of the reality of not having a place to live or being able to afford life there. I will not get started about my country come to town presence not gelling with NYC.
We all need our dreams. How real or likely they are to happen is irrelevant.
What a wonderful observation! We've all heard stories of the dreamer who goes to Manhattan with little more than a few bucks and a lot of aspirations. Some make it to the success of which they dreamed while others struggle along and perhaps eventually leave broke and broken. Others might dream of going to the Big Apple and never make it any farther than what they see in a movie or read about in a magazine. However many of us do make it for some kind of a visit whether a fast paced day in the city or a longer stay that allows for more sight-seeing. No matter how long the visit, we can never have time to see everything or even a small fraction of that which is to be seen.
Some who manage to land a job in Manhattan never leave, making the city their home. Others work for a while and then go elsewhere. Maybe it's a matter of money or maybe the lifestyle didn't meet expectations. In an earlier post I referred to a series by Robin at Your Daily Dose where she refers to the city as her "Promised Land". If you missed Robin's series, by all means click on the link to read about her experience. Perhaps some of you have a similar story to tell.
As I mentioned earlier in my series, I have been to Manhattan for rushed visits on a few occasions. Since the city was a place that I had visited in my childhood, a visit there as a part of a bucket list experience had been addressed early. Still Manhattan and the New York City area remains a place that I want to revisit in order to see what I missed on my previous visits. Then there are dreams that I harbor concerning opportunities that could arise someday somehow.
The Promised Land of Manhattan is a dream that has many interpretations depending on the individual. My dreams might be similar to your dreams while for others the dream might be completely different. Then there are those for whom Manhattan holds no promise--at least none they can name or think of at the moment when asked. But think harder if you think Manhattan is not your Promised Land. It could be that the promise is there, but you don't recognize it yet.
What promise do you see waiting for you in Manhattan? Have you experienced any disappointments regarding Manhattan? Did any of your ancestors pass through Ellis Island to come to the United States?
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