Saturday, August 14, 2010

Liberty Mutual: Responsibility Project

I was elated and surprised to be contacted by Liberty Mutual to do a special tour of Ellis Island while attending Blogher in NYC. About 30 of us boarded a bus at the hotel and drove to Battery Park, while getting a low down on all the different neighborhoods of New York by our tour guide, Tom. The man knew NYC and definitely knew Ellis Island and it's rich history!

After going through security, we boarded a boat like this with a gabillion other people that were going to see the Statue of Liberty and/or Ellis Island.


It was a little breezy on the boat (aka tough hair day), but the backdrop was beautiful!

Wow. Right?
We motored past the Statue of Liberty. I had never seen her in person before, so it was really cool for me!


We arrived at Ellis Island and had a delicious lunch waiting for us! We learned all about Liberty Mutual's Responsibility Project. They have a great website. Clearly they are on to something here because we should all be looking out for each other!

I had no idea about how immigrants came through Ellis Island. None of my relatives came to America this way, so I couldn't look anyone up on their vast website. However, my new friend, Maria had her grandparents' name to find.

This is the room where everyone was checked in.
Some examples of some of the baggage they brought.
Tom, our fabulous tour guide!

Maria finding her grandparents' name on the wall. It was an emotional moment.

Then we had to add some levity and squish Lady Liberty.


Thank you Liberty Mutual for this fantastic day that I will always treasure! It was truly a treat and an honor to be a part of this day with you!

10 comments:

Liz@thisfullhouse said...

What an awesome trip -- wish I could have been there with you guys -- thanks for sharing the experience!!

Danielle said...

Amen to all that you said. Absolutely loved this trip!

SurprisedMom said...

Sounds like a wonderful trip! I'm glad you enjoyed yourself!

Jill Meyer said...

You know, I grew up just outside of NYC and to this day have never been inside the Statue of Liberty. Just like I now live on Cape Cod and have never been to Martha's Vineyard. Funny how this happens! Thanks for sharing.

Claudya Martinez said...

What a fantastic adventure!

Mrs4444 said...

Very cool. I would love to check out that wall. Maybe some day...

Anonymous said...

Such an amazing place indeed. I have not been there since my senior year class trip but I still remember it fondly.

Glad you enjoyed!

Emily McKhann said...

I especially love the last photo with the Statue of Liberty in your hand!!! It was great to meet you and I love discovering your blog!

Unknown said...

It was such a great day and I loved being a part of it. It was great to meet a fellow New Englander too. Thanks for talking to me while I sat on the park bench waiting for the ferry. I can't wait to read more on your blog.

Lisa Noel said...

how fun!!! I'd love to see lady liberty some day but I have no clue whether anyone in my family came in the country that way. somewhere I have papers that trace ancestors back to Europe but i don't know how to find out where they came in at specifically