So near, yet so far

As regular readers may be aware, I'm a bit of a sucker for pictures of deserted manmade environments - so it was something of a revelation to be directed towards photographer Stephen Wilkes' beautiful and poignant images of the abandoned hospital complex on Ellis Island where the journeys of many hopeful immigrants to the USA came to a tragic end just short of the promised land. "The Statue of Liberty loomed over my shoulder", Wilkes noted of his initial exploration, "yet I felt no less an archaeologist than those who first ventured into the Mayan tombs".

(Thanks to Matt for the link.)