Miss Liberty

New York has one of the world’s finest harbors. Ellis Island was the destination of millions of immigrants. Stories of mysterious events involving Ellis Island’s ghosts can be heard to these days. Not all were even allowed to enter the United States!

Liberty Island was known as Bedloe’s Island to the immigrants. The name was changed in 1956. It also has one of the world’s best known icons, the Statue of Liberty.

First known as “Liberty Enlightening the World”, it was proposed in 1865 by Edouard Laboulaye as a symbol of the alliance of France and the United States during the American Revolution and for the following years.
Architect Bartholdi depicted Liberty as a colossal woman in the classic robes of ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy. Her crown of seven rays stands for the seven continents and seven seas. She holds a tablet in her left hand that bears the date of the Declaration of Independence -July 4, 1776, America’s birth date. In her right hand she holds a torch, representing Liberty Enlightening the World, the Statue’s full name. At her feet lay broken chains as symbols of the broken shackles of tyranny.

The statue is 152 feet tall and rests upon a 150 foot pedestal. Just imagine that 100 tons of copper sheeting were used in its sculpting! The entire statue weighs 225 tons and is supported by an iron framework designed by Alexandre – Gustave Eiffel who is famous for the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The Statue of Liberty was delivered to the American Ambassador in Paris on July 4, 1884. In order to transport Lady Liberty to New York, the statue was dismantled into 300 pieces and packed into 214 wooden crates.

Nowadays, the Statue of Liberty is New York icon and well-trod tourist destination that attract approximately four million people each year. Visitors can walk around the island on their own, enjoying breathtaking views of the Statue and Manhattan skyline. National Park Service Ranger-guided tours and self-guided audio tours are available.

In addition, visitors who choose a pedestal ticket when they purchase their ferry ticket can enter the Statue’s base, tour the museum, see the original torch, stroll the 11-point star-shaped Fort Wood and walk up to the observation level of the pedestal. Visitors who choose a crown ticket can also climb the 354 steps to the crown.

For more info on how to get tickets to enter the Statue of Liberty, take a look at the official website: http://www.statueofliberty.org