This place, once a "seeing place," has seen it all: first a stronghold, it's been a walking place, a drinking place, a disbarking place, a swimming place (but not for people), a singing place, and now an embarking place. Oddly enough, never a drumming place, though virtually in a former shooting place that still retains the name. Named for a politician, then renamed horticulturally, it's again named for the politician, no relation to other more recent ones of the same name. Where in the United States is it?

Verbonica

Castle Clinton National Monument, national monument authorized in 1946. Located in New York City, the monument preserves a historic fort (stronghold) on the southern tip of the island of Manhattan. The fort was built in the city’s Battery Park area between 1808 and 1811 to defend New York Harbor during the War of 1812 (1812-1815) between Britain and the United States. It was named Southwest Battery and renamed after the war for De Witt Clinton, the mayor of New York City and later the governor of New York. In 1824 the name was changed to Castle Garden and it was used as a theater ("seeing place") and for public ceremonies until 1855. From 1855 through 1890 the fort served as a port of entry (disbarking place) through which more than 8 million immigrants entered the United States. In the early 1900s the fort was made into the New York Aquarium (swimming place), which operated until 1941. It served in turn as a promenade (walking place), beer garden/restaurant (drinking place), exhibition hall for Colt 45 (shooting place), opera house (singing place), and theater. Today it is administered by the National Park Service and is a departure point (embarking place) for visitors to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It appears much as it did in its earliest days, contains a museum, and is again called Castle Clinton. http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560835/castle_clinton_national_monument.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Clinton Mar 05 09, 1:16 AM

queproblema

Yay, Verbonica! Very good. By "drumming" and "shooting" places I was actually referring to the Battery, but your take on it worls, too. "Disbark" was my typo for "disembark," but I find it, too, works. Mar 05 09, 10:00 AM