The boats usually left from Bremenhaven and the journey took about two weeks. The main ports of arrival were New York, Boston, and New Orleans, while those who came through Shanghai arrived in San Francisco. The most frequently used location in New York was the Hotel Marseilles, a massive 10-story building located on the city's upper west side, though at 425 Lafayette Street there was the HIAS center with a dormitory in the building. Some people remembered the Marseilles as a dilapidated halfway house for war refugees and others identified it as the place where they got their first key ever to a private room. The hotel was a bustling center of immigrant activity where people talked, reminisced, and made plans for the future.
European baggage is unloaded.
Inside people converse excitedly about the new immigration. Chocolate and peanuts are pressed into the hands of children. The Marseilles Hotel was the headquarters for the numerous agencies that were continuing the absorption process and it had meeting rooms, recreation halls, medical facilities, and a clothing distribution center. People attended English classes, lectures and films designed to orient them to America. Immigrants came into the hotel at all times of the day and night.