Hazards of travel, a hundred years on

If there's one thing my brief sojourn in Manhattan has taught me, it's that I could not have survived the journey my Lithuanian grandparents made to reach the city. The subway made me claustrophobic, the ferry to Ellis Island made me woozy, and the hot, crowded elevator down from the Empire State Building made me want to jump off the building--how could I have traveled across the ocean in steerage? 
 
But that's not all I've learned here. For instance, did you know that if you carry a harmonica in your pocket while going through security at the Empire State Building, the security guards will confiscate the dangerous instrument with no explanation? Also, the city from above looks like a giant Lego model, especially in the fog. And riding the subway regularly would have to improve core strength--but I won't be around long enough to test that theory because we leave early tomorrow to head for home.

I'm just glad I don't have to travel in steerage.