New York City 2014: Ellis Island, Bridesmaid Luncheon, and Austrian Dinner

Group Photo on Ellis Island with Manhattan in the background

Koen and I were finally able to visit Ellis Island! We really wanted to go last year, but because of Hurricane Sandy, the museum was closed. Koen and I visited Ellis Island with Christina and her family, Ashley, and Meredith. This was a special visit because Christina’s father’s father and grandfather (so her grandfather and great-grandfather) entered the United States via Ellis Island and both of their names are commemorated on a plaque. Koen and I visited the Red Star Line Museum in Antwerp recently, which is about leaving Europe for the United States, so we felt like we came full circle visiting Ellis Island and learning about entering the US.

After Ellis Island, I left with Christina, her mom, Ashley, and Meredith for the bridesmaid luncheon at Ladurée in Soho. Yum! We enjoyed a delicious lunch and macarons. I love Ladurée so much – all of the pastel colors, the feminity, and the Parisian je ne sais quoi. When Koen proposed to me, we celebrated with brunch at the location on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. Although we have a Ladurée in Antwerp, it’s only a boutique – macarons and sweets to-go – so I was excited for the bridesmaid luncheon!

That evening Koen and I went back to Brooklyn for a delicious Austrian dinner at Café Steinhof with Elaine and her dad! Right before we arrived in NYC, it seemed the entire Simeon family became ill. So Koen and I were happy to be able to see at least a couple of Simeons and give our best wishes to Christine and her mom 🙂

We started out by grabbing breakfast at Fay Da, a Chinese bakery in Chinatown – Koen got a mango smoothie and a steamed hotdog bun; I ordered an iced coffee, steamed pork bun, and a coconut bun!

Cindy and Lee browsing the Chinese baked goods

My yummy yellow coconut bun!

Koen took this lovely photo on the subway on the way to Battery Park

Battery Park, on our way to the ferry

Louise Bourgeois, “Eyes”, 1995 – Public art in Battery Park

New and old architecture

Entrance to the ferry

Leaving Manhattan

Koen and me with the Freedom Tower in the background

View of the Financial District from the ferry

Passing the Statue of Liberty

Christina and me with Lady Liberty

Ellis Island!

The Registery Room: From 1900 to 1924 this room was filled with new arrivals waiting to be inspected and registered; on many days over 5,000 people would file through the space

Arriving at Ellis Island

Getting inspected

The inspection process

If you were suspected of being ill after the initial inspection, the inspector marked you with chalk

Groups of women, children, and men

Ship registry

Portraits of passengers

The courtroom where your case would be heard

A photo of the first café the new arrivals encountered

Sebastian and Sebastiano Latina

Koen with Manhattan in the background – he almost fell into the water! It was only after taking photos we noticed the signs that you’re not supposed to sit on the walls