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.

STROLLING IN BATTERY PARK

It's our second day in New York City.  We took the #7 Subway down to the Times Square stop and transferred to the #1 Subway which took us to the tip of Manhattan. We exited at the South Ferry stop and decided to walk over to Battery Park prior to boarding the boat to Liberty Island.

We passed by The Sphere.  Previously placed between the twin towers of the World Trade Center, this sculpture was damaged, but survived the collapse of the towers.  Placed in this spot on March 11, 2002 as a temporary memorial to those killed in the attacks, the eternal flame was lit on September 11, 2002.

My first glimpse of Lady Liberty!  What a magnificent site!

I didn't realize until later that's New Jersey across the water.

It's easy to see why the South Cove is one of Battery Park's most popular places, with its distinctive wooden walkway...

its distinctive blue lighting...

and the cove.

You can climb the uniquely-designed overlook and look out over the wooden bridge for wonderful views.

One of the more interesting displays of public art along the Esplanade is called The Upper Room.  It's located where the Esplanade meets Albany Street.  It reminded me of ancient temple ruins.  The square court is surrounded on all sides with red pillars made of gravelly concrete.  In the courtyard there is a long table inlaid with chess boards and stools.  In the middle is an altar-like pergola.

We ended our walk at North Cove Marina.  So many beautiful boats docked right in front of the World Financial Center.

We reversed our course and headed back towards the pier to catch the ferry to Liberty Island.

What a wonderful stroll along the waterfront on a beautiful September morning!  I can see why Battery Park is such a beloved place for New Yorkers.

All photos in this post were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.

FUN TIMES IN TIMES SQUARE

We ended the first day of our New York City trip in Times Square.

We ate at Dallas BBQ on 42nd Street...

I had their crabcakes and coleslaw, and my husband had their famous Texas Crispy Wings. The food was delicious. Dallas BBQ is located above the B. B. King Blues Club.

After we finished eating, we walked to Times Square.  As you can imagine, it's full of lights (and Lady Gaga)...

lights...

and more lights...plus thousands of people...

There are people dressed up as characters mooching for a photo-op...

Billboards showing all the hottest Broadway shows...

And of course, the famous "ball" that drops every December 31st...

 

Times Square was so much fun...we saw so much on our first day in New York City, but Day 2 in New York City would take us from Battery Park to Lady Liberty to the 9/11 Memorial to Trinity Church.  So until the next post...

All photos in this post were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.

UNISPHERE IN QUEENS, NY

Flushing Meadows-Corona Park is the site of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.  On our first day in New York City, we walked through the beautiful park...

and arrived at the Unisphere.

Built for the 1964-1965 World's Fair by U.S. Steel as a symbol of world peace, based on the fair's theme, Peace Through Understanding, the Unisphere is 140 feet high, 120 feet in diameter and weighs 900,000 pounds.  It is one of the largest globes ever made.

 

Since the continents are the heaviest parts of the all-steel sculpture and they aren't evenly distributed, the Unisphere is top heavy. Very top heavy. It was carefully engineered to account for the unbalanced mass.

The Unisphere is centered in a large, circular reflecting pool and is surrounded by a series of water-jet fountains designed to obscure its tripod pedestal. 

The effect is meant to make it appear as if it is floating in space.

All photos in this post were taken by me during my trip to New York City in September, 2012.