We finally arrived at New York City. I have always longed to visit NYC, after seeing glimpses of its beauty on film: the ball dropping at Times Square in “New Year’s Eve”, Giselle singing and dancing around Central Park in “Enchanted” and Kurt and Rachel strutting down Fifth Avenue in “Glee”

 

Our tour commenced with us assuming the persona of an immigrant. On board the ferry to Liberty Island, we sighted the beacon of hope, freedom and opportunity, welcoming us to the country.

 

 

The colossal Statue of Liberty is a majestic sight in patina. The oxidation of the copper façade gives the structure its light green colour today. In fact, I think it must look better than its original brown state.

 

 

There are several symbolisms behind the features of Lady Liberty:

 

• On the head rests a crown with seven rays. They represent the seven continents and seas of the world.
• The right hand grips a torch covered in gold leaf which symbolizes liberty enlightening the world.
• The left hand cradles a tablet with has the date of America's independence inscribed on it: (JULY IV MDCCLXXVI/ July 4, 1776). The roman numerals, symbols of law, hints of the tablet being a book of law based on the founding principles of the nation. [Roman numeral key: M – 1000; D – 500; C – 100; L – 50; X – 10; V – 5; I – 1]
• The figure is clad in a free-flowing robe or stola, which represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom.
• A broken chain lies at her feet, symbolising freedom.

 

 

After the transit at Liberty Island, we reached Ellis Island, which was the gateway to United States for immigrants. Upon arrival at the island, we traced the footsteps of the immigrants via a self-guided audio tour.

 

 

The immigrants first set down their baggage before ascending the steps to the Great Hall where they sat on the rows of benches to wait for their inspections.

 

 

Doctors scanned the line of moving immigrants. Those who appeared ill received a dreaded chalk mark on their clothing to undergo further examination.

 

 

That includes the feared eye examination which involved lifting the eye lid with a button hook to inspect for signs of the contagious disease, trachoma.

 

 

The next station is the legal inspection. Immigrants were asked a series of questions such as their occupations and amount of money they possessed.

 

 

Those who were deemed to be dubious were detained for a hearing before the Board of Special Inquiry.

 

 

Immigrants who did not speak English relied on the use of interpreters, many of whom saved them from deportation with their wit.

 

 

Once all tests were passed, the immigrants reunited with their families to be ferried to other parts of America in search of a better life.

 

 

Our next stop after gaining entry to the United States was to the Museum of Moving Image, a media museum to promote public awareness of the history and technology of film and digital media.

 

 

There was a wide range of exhibits: ancient cameras, projectors, television sets, movie props and costumes, video arcade and console games.

 

 

One exhibit that left a impression was the Feral Fount. The Feral Fount is a series of 97 small sculptures each slightly different from the preceding one. Mounted on a rotating armature, the application of a strobe light that flashes 13 times per second creates the animation of a drop of water emerging from a faucet, morphing into a bomb as a hand tries to grip it and then morphing into a paper aeroplane which lands in a dish pan.

 

 

The principle of the Feral Fount is the same as drawings in a flip book or frames in an animated film. The intervals of darkness trick our eyes to perceive a moving image at 13 fps rather than a set of rotating sculptures.

 

We visited Times Square next where colourful LED displays and giant billboards compete for attention.

 

 

Standing in front of One Times Square where the well-known ball drop takes place to usher in the new year.

 

 

The manhole cover reminds me of that where Giselle emerges from in “Enchanted".

 

 

There were street buskers dressed as characters e.g. Lady Liberty, SpongeBob where you could pose with for photos for a nominal fee.

 

 

Another interesting sight in Times Square is the Naked Cowboy, who performs in only a pair of briefs, cowboy boots and hat, with a guitar barely obscuring his crotch area.