I’m not even sure about how to write about this day. Still, months later, I fail to put it into words. It is a day I’ll never forget. It was not simply standing in front of the Statue of Liberty, baking in the morning sun during a historic heatwave in Manhattan. It was an immersion into a perspective that often feels foreign to us.
“I get to pursue happiness?”
I cannot sell you on the belief that Lady Liberty “is still standing”. But I’d like to draw you into our experience for this day, where people still dream of freedom.
Lady Liberty: She’s Still Standing
We spent the long weekend of July 2-4, 2026 in New York City. This is the blog post about Day 2. Our first stop was the iconic silhouette of the Statue of Liberty. Standing at her base, looking up at the weathered green copper against a blazing blue sky, you can’t help but feel the immense historical gravity of the site.
She’s a beaut, Clark.
Ellis Island: The Theme of My Song
From Liberty Island, the ferry traced a short path across the water to Ellis Island. The blast of air conditioning as we entered those hallowed halls was welcomed. We spent a few minutes enjoying the cool air before we grabbed a headphone guide and began to look at the various histories and artifacts.
Then I overheard a video playing in a central room next to us. I stopped to listen:
Did you catch that? An immigrant woman, reflecting on the promise of the American experiment, posed a question so fundamental it made the breath catch in my throat:
“I get to pursue happiness?”
Wow. We felt the burden of taking freedom for granted. It is easy to forget when it is part of your daily life from the time you are born until you die. The video contained other quotes as well. And while Ellis Island also had its dark elements, the immigrants largely viewed it as worth the risk for freedom.
Here are some of the immigrants highlighted on Ellis Island.
Ellis Island: A ‘Teddy’ Bear Declaration
Walking through the halls, we found a fascinating display about “Gertrud’s Bear”—the origin story of the original “Teddy Bear,” inspired by Theodore Roosevelt and simultaneously brought to life by Morris and Rose Michtom of Brooklyn and Richard Steiff in Germany.
A Personal Salute in the Bay
As the ferry churned back toward Manhattan, the historical narrative intersected directly with our own family history. Scanning the open water of the bay, I spotted a white hull adorned with a distinct red racing stripe: a United States Coast Guard cutter bearing the hull number 911.
This wasn’t just any vessel; it was the actual, physical boat my brother served on for three of his four years in the Coast Guard. What an incredible call back and connection to my family. I am proud of my brother’s service.
Of course, I also took the opportunity to grab a few photos of Manhattan from Ellis Island and the ferry. Here are some bonus photos.
Battery Park: Play and Growth
Landing back at the southern tip of Manhattan, we spent some time decompressing in Battery Park. We watched children gleefully splashing through the public water fountains to beat the oppressive heat, and took a quiet walk past the lush, community-tended Battery Park vegetable garden. We tarried here for a bit, enjoying the lush green garden and listening to children exclaim their joy.
A Complete Cafe & Playground
For lunch, we stepped inside the innovative Complete Cafe at the Complete Playground on Broad Street, navigating their digital cafe layouts for a quick tactical recharge. This place is filled with children who want to play on the digital tables but we found the noise acceptable for the delicious food.
New York Stock Exchange: Lost & Found
Our post-lunch walk took us past the towering façade of the New York Stock Exchange, where a massive American flag draped across the grand neoclassical columns. Carrie stood right next to the famous Fearless Girl statue, mirroring her defiant, confident stance against the institutions of old.
Of course, Manhattan demands a physical trade-off for its views. Somewhere along the frantic march through the Financial District, my new favorite hat slipped away into the crowd, lost to the city streets. The immediate solution? A quick pivot into an Under Armour shop to buy a replacement—a sleek, high-efficiency workout cap that I’ve completely fallen in love with for morning gym sessions. After a mandatory rest block back at the hotel to shower and change, we dressed up for the ultimate cultural centerpiece of the weekend.
Ragtime: Still Speechless
We made our way uptown to the Lincoln Center complex to see the powerhouse revival of Ragtime at the Vivian Beaumont Theater. I can say without a single shred of hyperlogic or exaggeration:
This was the single greatest theatrical production I have ever witnessed in my life—across television, cinema, or live Broadway stage.
The sweeping orchestrations, the complex, soaring three-part harmonies, and the thematic collision of early 20th-century immigrants, industrial wealth, and the fight for racial justice tied perfectly back to the ghosts we had walked with earlier at Ellis Island. Nichelle Lewis’ bone-chilling vocals as Sarah blew us away.
Ragtime led the 1998 Tony Awards with 13 nominations and 4 wins—including Best Original Score and Best Book—and went on to be nominated 11 more times and earn 4 more Tonys, highlighted by Best Revival of a Musical, for its acclaimed 2026 Lincoln Center production. It is well worth a trip.
An Ideal to Strive For
While the morning began with an astute question, “I get to pursue happiness?”, I feel Ragtime gave us a path to seeing it come to fruition. It is often fraught with turmoil, and for some unfortunate souls the ending is not happy, but we still live in a land that gives us an ideal to strive for. May we pursue it in the waiting.
“Between the wish and the thing the world lies waiting.” — Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses (p. 238)
We still have one more day. It includes Central Park, The Met, 250th anniversary fireworks, and concludes with a sprint home in the rain. Until then, here are some more photos from the Statue of Liberty. Talk to you next week.
