“Relatives” Category Archive

OK, so it’s only home for a couple of weeks. Still, after a day in Manhattan, Crown Heights (Brooklyn) seems like the comfortable country home we so often fantasize about.

OK, OK, so I’m exaggerating a bit…

I was once an avid subway rider in Tokyo. I loved the precision and reliability of the whole Japanese railway system.

But ever since we started planning this NY trip, I’ve been gripped with fear about maneuvering through a busy subway with four children, my parents, and “Wrong-Way-Gilad”.

Will they be able to get on and off fast enough?

Will we get separated?

Will they annoy other passengers to the point of violence?

Much to my relief, the whole trip was a pleasure. It was… Read more »»

The history is so real in this place, it’s easy to feel like a trespasser, encouraged by every element in one’s immediate surroundings to step carefully and take care to take everything in.

And then you visit the displays.

Hospital rooms, dormitories, the inspection hall, detention areas, and more. We even saw a Sefer Tehillim (Book of Psalms) handed to Nathan Solomon in 1924 by the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, right here at Ellis Island.

Last time I was here, I made it all the way to the crown. That was long before the recent remodel. The windows in the crown were fogged up, scratched up, and I almost gave up trying to see anything through them. Still, I have fond memories of that climb, thank G-d, even though it was so hot and stuffy that I felt my very skin was melting off my face and body.

This time, even though Lady Liberty is air… Read more »»

Two hours on line. At least six bottles of water. One almost inedible energy bar (we had more bars with us, but they really were difficult to consume). Three bathroom trips. And no less than thirty tissues and napkins used for sweat management.

We met caribbean street musicians who played Jewish music for us. We got pushed around by Brittons, Germans, Frenchies, and various sundry Eurotrash that apparently felt some sort of birthright to skip ahead in line while complaining about the heat,… Read more »»

Our first view of Manhattan, excluding the Manhattan side of the Number 3 train run, unfolds before us as we emerge from the subway at the 42nd Street Station.

This is not just a big city! This is a different world!!

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