The Castaway Hotel - 4 - 36. Chapter 36 - The City That Never Sleeps

Friday morning we got up and went to breakfast, before heading to our first stop of the day. It was another historic building, but strikingly different from the two we had visited yesterday. We began our tour of the United Nations building by going into the General Assembly Hall, which was one of the main features of the building. It is the largest room there, with seating capacity for over 1800 people, so it can easily handle the delegations from all of the 188 member-nations. That room is the only one with the U.N. emblem on its wall, which is a map of world (as seen from the north pole), flanked by two olive wreaths, which are symbols of peace.

Standing in that room you might begin to feel totally insignificant, not only because of its enormous size, but also because once you realized the scope of the issues that are dealt with there, your concerns seemed trivial in comparison. It was really quite a humbling experience. The boys did want to see if they could sit in the various chairs and pretend to be delegates from different places, but for multiple reasons, including our time constraints, it was not possible.

From there, we went to the Security Council Chamber next, which housed the real power of the U.N. This group comprises both permanent and rotating members and can veto any decrees, proclamations or other measures that come from the General Assembly. This room, which hosts the Security Council meetings, was a gift from Norway and the central feature is a mural painted by a Norwegian artist, Per Krough.

“What’s that supposed to be?” Brent asked, while pointing toward the painting.

“It’s a phoenix rising from its ashes,” I told him. “The phoenix is a bird from Greek mythology that supposedly has beautiful gold and red plumage and lives for hundreds of years. When it is time for it to die, the bird builds a nest of cinnamon twigs and then bursts into flames, only to be reborn again, out of its own ashes. This depiction was meant to signify the world would be rebuilt and thrive again after the devastation of World War II.”

My explanation seemed to suffice for the time being, so we moved on. I didn’t think the boys would be interested in seeing the remaining chambers, so I took them to investigate other items they might find interesting instead. The first was the Chagall stained glass window, which is located on the eastern side of the public lobby. It was designed by the French artist, Marc Chagall, and presented to the U.N. in 1964. It contains several symbols of peace within its design, and its predominantly blue hue gives a tranquil feeling to the lobby area.

Some of the boys commented about how many of the things we had seen seemed to refer to world peace, so I took the opportunity to describe what these people faced at the end of the Second World War. I began by trying to let them know the extent of the destructiveness that engulfed the world during and after the war, how many lives had been lost and how the survivors needed to view the future with hope, not despair. All of the items that were incorporated into the building when it was constructed, including many things we had not yet seen, were intended to show the United Nations was established to prevent another major war like that from ever happening again. They agreed it was a good reason and hoped they never lived to witness a conflict of that caliber, and silently I said a prayer they never would either.

After that, I took them to see the Norman Rockwell Mosaic, which was presented by the U.S. in 1985. It was based on a famous Rockwell painting called ‘The Golden Rule,’ which depicts people of various nationalities, ethnic backgrounds and religious persuasions. In it, Rockwell incorporates the ‘do unto others’ theme, in an attempt to show that each of us is more than just a single entity or small group, but instead are all part of a larger, global family. Maybe someday the dream of global peace and acceptance will be realized and we’ll all stop hating one another for our differences or selfishly putting our own needs ahead of those of others, no matter whether those differences are physical, political or religious. When that day comes, maybe the Earth will finally be engulfed in lasting peace.

Once we left that display, we viewed the Chinese Ivory Carving, which depicts the Chengtu-Kunming railway. This gift was received from China in 1974, and shows a train, complete with tiny passengers inside. The railway opened to traffic in 1970 and is an important asset of China. This beautiful piece of artwork was carved from eight elephant tusks and has so many tiny and delicate details that you could spend many hours studying it. Even after taking that much time with it, you probably still wouldn’t notice everything that was included in it. It was quite impressive and very beautiful.

From there, we moved on to see the Japanese Peace Bell, which was presented to the U.N. in 1954, and is housed in a small Shinto-shrine structure made of Cypress wood. The bell is symbolically rung twice a year, on the first day of spring and at the opening of the General Assembly, which takes place in September. The hope is that the ringing of the bell will promote peace and ensure that the destruction and bloodshed wrought by war will not take place again.

“Hey, look what it says here,” Shannon pointed out. “It says this bell was cast from coins collected by children from 60 different nations. Can you believe that? They collected the coins and had them melted down, just to make this bell.”

“I guess that means that living in peace meant a lot to them,” Jake responded, while looking appreciatively at his son. “If only those coins they donated could insure there would never be another war.”

Everyone agreed with his statement and we stood there a few moments more contemplating that possibility, before moving out to the garden. We were going there to see a very famous sculpture named ‘Let Us Beat Swords Into Plowshares,’ which depicts a blacksmith using his hammer to pound a sword into a plowshare. This idea is based on a biblical reference and once again symbolizes the desire to put an end to war. Due to its biblical theme, it seemed ironic that this piece of art was a gift from the former Soviet Union in 1959. Adding to this irony was the fact that it was in the General Assembly Hall where the Premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev, pounded his shoe on the podium and told the non-communist nations, ‘We will bury you.’ This seemed to indicate they were not giving up on their aggressive spread of communism, as they wanted to eventually envelop the whole world under that one philosophy. History has proved his boast was unjustified, since his nation failed that mission and no longer exists.

As we were leaving the U.N., I wanted the boys to see one more thing, so I took them for a stroll along Fifth Avenue, where they could view the row of delegate member flags. The flags were displayed in alphabetical order, beginning with the Afghanistan flag and ending with the flag of Zimbabwe, and the boys were able to recognize a few of them, while admitting others totally unfamiliar. It was an impressive show, however, as it signified how so many diverse groups were willing to work toward the goal of peace by joining together in this global organization.

It was now approaching late morning and I decided it might be a good time to stop and eat, before moving on to our next stop. As usual, I tried not to let anyone know in advance what that would be; since I preferred to have most things come as a surprise to them. I know the boys didn’t always agree with my method, but they had come to trust my judgment and didn’t normally give me a tough time about it. Although they weren’t overly thrilled by most of the U.N. tour, no one complained, because they suspected I would probably arrange something else they would be more interested in later, and that’s exactly what I was trying to do.

As we enjoyed a very early lunch, Jake and Mark sat on either side of me, so we could easily discuss what we had seen this morning. Jake and I recalled stories told to us by our grandparents and parents about the depression and World War II, and we thought about how those experiences helped to mold how those generations approached life and how they helped to change the world in the process. Mark was more interested in this discussion than I would have first imagined, but I soon discovered the reason for that. Mark informed me that his grandparents had also told him many of those kinds of stories when he was growing up and they had always interested him. He then went on to tell us he was very impressed with the things we had seen and done today, mainly because it helped him to better appreciate some of the tales his grandparents had shared with him.

It wasn’t long before Danny and Brandon joined in the discussion too, since they were seated next to Mark, and then Shannon and Nick chimed in, giving us their take on things. I was quite impressed that the boys were so willing to discuss what the world had been like during the 1920’s and through to the 50’s, and they were very astute at drawing parallels between what happened then and some of the things that were happening in the world during the past decade or so. I complimented them on their insights, as did Jake, and I found it hard to dismiss the younger generation, as so many others were inclined to do.

Too many times people want to hold up the fringe elements of such a group, meaning the minority of individuals who go to extremes in what they do, including getting into trouble, and thus garner most of the attention. Then others try to label the entire class by the actions of those few. This was not only unfair to the group, but it was also highly inaccurate, so I hoped others would begin to realize there were also numerous young people in our midst who are bright, caring and concerned, and aren’t accurately represented by the fringe elements of their peer group. I pray society will stop selling entire generations short and quit making generalizations and lumping them together in a single package. I think, as a society, we would have learned this lesson by now, after how our own generations had been depicted and how much of that had also been inaccurate and unfair.

After lunch we made our way over to Battery Park, which is on the tip of Manhattan, to a circular fortress called Castle Clinton. This edifice was built in 1811, to defend against British attacks, but is now a ticket and information center for the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry rides. I purchased the tickets and we loaded onto the ferry, soon making our way to Liberty Island. The ferry had three decks, and because it was such a lovely day, we made our way to the top deck so we could enjoy the view. Soon, we were disembarking and making our way toward the base of the statue.

“The island was originally known as Bedloe’s Island,” I told the boys, as we walking toward it, “but the name was changed after the Statue was erected here. Lady Liberty was a gift from the people of France in 1886 and was the creation of Master Sculptor Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, while Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel designed the iron skeleton that supports the outer skin of Miss Liberty.”

“Hey, isn’t that the same guy who they named the Eiffel Tower for?” Brent asked.

“Indeed it is,” I confirmed. “He was the very same person who designed that structure for the Paris World’s Fair. It was also my understanding that intricate metal framework he incorporated in the Statue of Liberty may be seen if you climb the stairs to the crown, which some visitors decide to do.”

“Are we going to do that?” Nick wanted to know.

“I think we’ll use the elevators,” I explained, “rather than wait in line to take the circular stairway up the interior. I’m worried some of us might find it difficult to navigate the small triangular stairs to the top, not to mention that we’d all be tired out before we got there.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Nick countered. “So maybe we can walk down them instead,” he added hopefully, but I decided to take a wait and see approach on that suggestion.

I went on to explain that the statue was begun as a centennial gift, in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and the book that Lady Liberty is holding in her arm is simply inscribed with the date 1776, written in Roman numerals. The statue was originally titled, ‘Liberty Enlightening the World’, which referred to the torch she held aloft in her right hand. The artist saw the beacon emanating from it to be guiding and welcoming immigrants to these shores.

The gift did cause some problems when it first arrived in the States, however, as funds were needed in order to prepare the area and erect a pedestal on which it would stand. The government turned to the public for help and the poet Emma Lazarus wrote a verse she called ‘The New Colossus,’ to help the fund-raising efforts. The last few lines of that poem are now on a plaque that adorns the base and reads as follows:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me:
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.

For millions of immigrants who approached the United States by sea, this was the first vision they had of their new homeland, and this memory was forever burned into their minds.

From here, we made our way to see the displays that showed the various designs that had been suggested for the base. There were also pictures of the Statue taken at various times, showing how the area had changed and evolved over the years.

At this point I urged the boys to get moving, as we had a tight schedule to keep for the remainder of the day. We took the elevator to the top, and after disembarking we went and looked out the openings in Liberty’s crown. For the next several minutes, we stood breathless and enjoyed the awe-inspiring view.

“Can we go up the torch now?” Ricky asked, his eyes glowing, while the others nodded their agreement.

“I’m afraid not,” I began, which drew immediate negative responses from everyone. “I’m sorry, but it’s no longer opened to the public, because of various risks involved. There’s nothing I can do that will change that.”

They seemed greatly disappointed by this news, but accepted my explanation and enjoyed what we were able to do. After looking around and seeing what we could from this vantage point, we made our way back down to the ground level, only to stare up at it once more. Before we left, we took numerous pictures, with various combinations of boys and adults huddled together, with the statue looming up behind us. Once we had taken those pictures, we loaded back onto the ferry and traveled over to Ellis Island.

Ellis Island was once a privately held island and was named in honor of one of its previous owners. The Immigration Service began to use the island on January 1, 1892, to screen those wishing to be admitted into the country. In 1898 and again in 1905, two other islands were built by using the earth and rock taken from the subway tunnels being cut from under the city and from the earth removed from the excavation of Grand Central Station. The various buildings were constructed or improved (including dormitories, hospital, kitchens, baggage station, electrical plant, restaurant, laundry and bath house) and the various personnel were hired to run the facility. All of this was done for a cost of approximately $1,500,000.

By 1947, 20 million people had entered the country through this location, but it was closed in 1954, with the immigration activities being moved into Manhattan. The site was reopened on September 10, 1990, as a unit of the Department of the Interior’s National Park service, and it is now a very popular tourist attraction. As the boys, Jake and I roamed through this location we let our minds run wild, pretending we had just landed here in hopes of becoming citizens of the United States.

The main building is a large French Renaissance-style structure, which replaced an earlier wooden structure after it was destroyed by fire. Upon entering, the men, women and children who had just landed here would be placed in long lines, where they would wait between metal railings until their papers were checked and then they would be taken to another area for a medical examination. Approximately 5,000 – 8,000 people could be processed like this each day, and the facility was open 5 to 7 days a week, depending upon the number of arrivals wishing to enter the U.S. Those found to be afflicted by certain diseases were refused admittance and sent back to the country from which they came, so as not to spread these diseases to the general population.

The screening process was made even more difficult because of the numerous languages spoken by the new arrivals, as well as the many dialects each of those languages might include. Sometimes even the interpreters who spoke the particular language couldn’t communicate with the new arrivals because of their thick regional dialects. Many of these new arrivals were therefore forced to endure many additional examinations, which caused lengthy delays, solely due to this language problem. Some unfortunate immigrants were even sent back because of various misunderstandings created by these language barriers, so it was not an easy or perfect system.

Many of the new arrivals often had vital information changed or incorrectly recorded, because of these communication problems or due to clerical errors, including the spelling of their names or even their birth dates. These errors would then become part of their new identity and what they would have to go by from that point on. This would not only upset the person involved, but it also made it more difficult for relatives to locate them or for future generations to trace their roots.

As we stood in this hallowed hall, we tried to imagine how a group of tired and frightened people, who had finally reached this location after so many days at sea, would have to go through this scary and confusing process. Not only were they greeted by people who didn’t speak the same language as they did, but they were also examined and interrogated by these strangers, as well as sometimes being cheated or abused by those who were supposed to be helping them. I think we all gained a better understanding of what it might have been like and how much courage it took for people to leave their homelands and go through this process, just for the chance of having a better life.

Even though the buildings had fallen into severe disrepair after the location was abandoned in 1954, many have since been restored to nearly original condition. There are also numerous pictures taken of the various immigrants who had passed through here, which gave us a little better feel for those who entered via this location and the process they were force to endure to attain their goal. We tried to take in as many of these items as we could and were greatly moved by overlapping the looks of hope, sadness and confusion that were etched on their faces. We were really enjoying all of this, but eventually it was time to head back for our final activity of the day.

Once again, this was a surprise for the boys and something I thought would be a bit different and interesting for them as well. I had arranged for us to take a dinner-cruise up the East River. Once we arrived at the dock and boarded the vessel, we selected a group of tables located near each other, so we wouldn’t get separated. Once we got underway, the boys went off to get drinks, before going to get their food, which was being served buffet-style. I stayed on deck and protected our cluster of tables from outside invaders, like a watchdog protecting a home, until some of the boys returned with their meals. At that point, I left them in charge and went to get my dinner. Soon, we all were eating and chatting, as the ship gently rocked back and forth as we made our way up the river. There was also a small band onboard, playing music so people could dance after they finished eating, but we merely just sat and listened to them, while enjoying the scenery along the way.

We passed by many interesting sites as we made our way up the river, which included the shorelines of some of the New York City boroughs, but primarily Manhattan. Along the way we were able to recognize the U.N. Building, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and we could even see Castle Clinton. The biggest thrill of all came when the ship made its way toward the Statue of Liberty and made a slow U-turn in front of it, as the Captain prepared the vessel to make the return trip.

At the ship did its pirouette in front of Miss Liberty, we all stood up and walked over to the railing and held our breath, as we beheld this awesome and inspiring sight. Now, we could truly appreciate what those immigrants had seen and felt when they approached these shores and got their first glimpse of that magnificent lady standing in the harbor.

This experience helped to inspire another discussion, but this time it was about what those people must have been thinking and feeling at that point. I believe the younger boys were just as interested in this as the rest of us, since they asked many questions and wanted to know what the children would have done during their lengthy confinement on the ship and while waiting to be processed on Ellis Island. I explained, as best I could, about the types of things the children might have had with them or done during those periods.

“The girls might have had rag dolls that they could hold and play with, while the boys might have soldiers or animals carved out of wood or even marbles, although it would have been difficult to play marbles on a swaying ship,” I offered. “The family might have even owned a tiddlywinks boxed game, which the adults may have even played with them. The set consists of a bunch of winks (which might be circular, rings, square or horseshoe-shaped and constructed from ivory, bone, celluloid, wood, plastic or even metal) and a shooter (which is larger than the winks and can be either circular, square or triangular). Over the years the shooter has also been referred to as a tiddledy or a squidger. The idea of the game was to press downward on a wink with the shooter and this would cause it to flip into the air, with the intent of landing it inside a targeted cup, or have the wink potted, as it was called. The idea was to get more of your winks into the cup than your opponent.”

The boys seemed satisfied with what little I could offer, but Jake and Mark also added some of their own ideas and mentioned stories they had heard older relatives relay or information they had learned in history classes.

“I’ve also heard that on Ellis Island they also had rooftop playgrounds,” Jake told them, “with wagons the children might pull each other around in, rocking horses or hoops which the children might roll about using sticks to guide them.”

“Not only that,” Mark added, “I’ve heard they also had swings and see-saws, which might also be called teeter-totters, set up in various places for the children to use.” This helped the boys even more and I was thankful for Jake and Mark’s support and input.

We continued to enjoy the ride and even noticed several things we had missed earlier, such as Rikers Island, which in New York City’s largest jail facility, as we made our way back to the dock. To our immense chagrin, the cruise soon ended, but it left us with the wonderful memories and impressions it had inspired.

Once we were back at the hotel, we all were eager to clean up and get ready for bed. It was still fairly early, at least earlier than we were accustomed to, but we were all pretty tired. Before we separated, though, I did let each of them know tomorrow would not be as hectic as today had been, since I had arranged for a more laid-back schedule of activities. The boys wanted to know what we were going to do, but I told them I was going to keep that a surprise, which wasn’t what they wanted to hear. Immediately, they began to pester me and tried to get me to slip or give them hints about what we were going to be doing. However, I remained firm and stood my ground.

The only one I had told about these plans was Jake, but I knew he would also help keep my secret. I was nearly positive these activities would be well received by everyone, once they discovered what we were, but felt it would have more impact if they didn’t learn about any of them until the last moment. I could hardly wait to reveal these surprises.