Ellis Island has been an entry point for over 12 million immigrants to the United States over the course of 60-plus years. The descendants of those immigrants nowadays make over 40% of the population of the USA. My wife's family name can be found on the Wall of Honor on the island.

Ellis Island can only be visited on a combined ticket together with the Statue of Liberty, and quite a lot of people give it the short shrift, spending the bulk of their time on Liberty Island. Those who decide to budget time for Ellis Island quickly realize that even a few hours may not be enough for seeing and learning all there is to see and learn. The audio guide - included in the ticket price - has over 120 hours of narration with nearly 2000 stops across half a dozen exhibitions and general areas. I suggest budgeting at least 3 hours, which will allow you to take a look at all major aspects of the site and explore one or two areas in depth. It is not about visual impact so much - although the Great Hall is definitely visually impressive - but rather about myriad of details and circumstances that featured in the processing of arrivals from all over the world. It is a fascinating experience for any student of history or anyone with their own history of immigration, although I can understand how someone with no emotional connection to this topic might not find anything exceedingly impressive here.

Given that Ellis Island can only be visited on that combined ticket, it seems a bit odd that one day the island and the statue may constitute two individual WH sites. In addition to proximity to each other, the two are emotionally intertwined, as Lady Liberty greeted the arrivals in the harbor, heralding the start of their new lives, before they found themselves deposited at the processing center on Ellis Island. I will not be surprised if Ellis Island is eventually enshrined as an extension of the existing Statue of Liberty WH property. From where I stand, it is clearly worth the recognition.