We've finished with the college visit part of our road trip and today saw the end of our sightseeing in the Big Apple with visits to the two sites which have touched me the most....Ellis Island and Ground Zero. We caught the ferry from Battery Park after breakast and after stopping briefly at Liberty Island, we were let off at Ellis Island which closed for business in 1954. We took the "audio" tour which included interviews from immigrants who had been through the Ellis Island immigration process and it was extremely moving to hear how their lives had been transformed by the move to America. 
The Ellis Island kids were united - yes, they wanted to come to America....but not if it meant joining Gary & Elizabeth on one of their roadtrips....
I last visited Ground Zero just three months after 9/11 and wanted give the boys an insight as to the scale of the disaster and why it has such a crucially important place in history. A memorial museum opened next to the site in 2006 and it currently houses large steel pieces of the structure as well as many artefacts from the people that died that day. The tribute video that plays at the exhibition is particularly difficult to watch.However, after all this serious stuff, the day ended on a high... Elizabeth's first cousin Jeremy, his wife Tara and their beautiful, identical twin boys - Jonathan and Jacob - moved from London to Connecticut about a year after our own move to California. We don't get together as much as we'd like and so it was fantastic to meet up for English-style tea at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Manhattan.
As promised, tonight's blog is to include an insight from my fellow travellers - we had a long chat over dinner this evening to review everything we've seen and done - so here goes :-
What has been the coolest thing you've seen on this trip ?
Elizabeth - Definitely, "Old Faithful"....(or "Old Reliable" as Cody insisted on calling it). It was like being in one large chemistry lesson with the biggest experiment in the world going on...and when the geyser erupted, it was awesome !
What was your least favourite part of the trip ?
Harley - Listening to Dad's music....I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Elvis Costello, Eminem and Pink Floyd as much as the next guy but listening to the same tracks over and over in the car for six hours is stretching it (especially if it's interfering with the sound on my "Pirates of the Carribean" DVD).
Which was your favourite building ?
Brandon - Probably the Rockefeller Center in New York. It is the tallest one I have ever been in and the views from the top were brilliant ! It also has a special AI (Artificial Intelligence) room which detects when you enter the room and assigns you a colour which follows you wherever you go. It was extremely cool !
Which was your favourite day ?
Cody - August 1st happened to be my birthday and it was also the day we got to visit the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Apparently they hadn't heard of me....yet....but it won't be long until my brother's are queueing up to see some of my famous concert costumes (and no one will care if they've been washed or not...)
Which hotel did you enjoy the most ?
Elizabeth - It has to be the Four Seasons in Chicago - after several Sheratons and the Mineral Palace in Deadwood, pretty much anywhere with towels bigger than a first class stamp, and with no cowboys or bikers in the lobby, worked for me...plus the view of Lake Michigan and the city's unbelievable architecture from the window seat in our room was the best ever !
Which was your favourite city ?
Harley - Definitely New York - I can't think of any city I have been to where you are stuck in a perpetual rush hour and where the taxis seem to outnumber the people !
And the highpoint for me ?? I would have to say that it's a tie between Mount Rushmore and Ellis Island........because I feel that both show America at its best....
Last day tomorrow....what am I going to do every morning at 2:00am after that ??
