LADY LIBERTY

My first actual view of the Statue of Liberty was from our plane.  We were sitting on the left side of the plane so as we approached LaGuardia airport we looked down and saw her standing proud in the middle of New York harbor. I was so excited! 

After our stroll through Battery Park, we boarded the 10:00 ferry and soon began the short trip over to Liberty Island. As the ever-prepared trip planner, I prepurchased our tickets through Statue Cruises.  Tickets are $24.00 each.  The cruise itself is $17.00, and the park entrance fee is $7.00 since the Statue of Liberty is part of the National Park Service. (NOTE: I am certainly willing to pay more for National Park entrance fees. Our National Parks are losing millions of funds due to government cuts...I'm willing to pay extra...they're worth it.) 

The weather was perfect with clear blue skies and warm temperatures. We sat at the back of the ferry and had an amazing view of lower Manhattan...

As the ferry approached Liberty Island, it passed right in front of Lady Liberty.  What a thrill to see her so close!

And as the ferry continued towards the dock the views got better...

  



































and better...

Along the pathway surrounding the island are markers with information about Lady Liberty...

Other fun facts courtesy of www.statueofliberty.org are:

• Official dedication ceremonies held on Thursday, October 28, 1886
• Total overall height from the base of the pedestal foundation to the tip of the torch is 305 feet, 6 inches
• Height of the Statue from her heel to the top of her head is 111 feet, 6 inches
• The face on the Statue of Liberty measures more than 8 feet tall
• There are 154 steps from the pedestal to the head of the Statue of Liberty
• A tablet held in her left hand measures 23' 7" tall and 13' 7" wide inscribed with the date JULY IV MDCCLXXVI (July 4, 1776)
• The Statue has a 35-foot waistline
• There are seven rays on her crown, one for each of the seven continents, each measuring up to 9 feet in length and weighing as much as 150 pounds
• Total weight of the Statue of Liberty is 225 tons (or 450,000 pounds)
• At the feet of the Statue lie broken shackles of oppression and tyranny
• During the restoration completed in 1986, the new torch was carefully covered with thin sheets of 24k gold
• The exterior copper covering of the Statue of Liberty is 3/32 of an inch thick (less than the thickness of two pennies) and the light green color (called a patina) is the result of natural weathering of the copper 

Unfortunately Liberty Island is currently closed.  It suffered major damage from Hurricane Sandy.  Fortunately, Lady Liberty was built to withstand the storm's wrath, and she did not sustain any damage. However, the island's utilities, backup generator, and power systems were destroyed. The passenger docks were severely damaged and the brick pathways were also damaged as you can see in this photo from the National Park Service website. It's so sad to remember we had walked right there just one month before.

The Secretary of the Interior did say Liberty Island should be open by July 4.  Click here to read the article.

All photos in this post (except the one above) were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.