The Statue of Liberty Crown Tour we booked 4 months in advance because of the limited amount of visitors allowed per day. Approximately 240 people only are allowed to visit the crown each day. This tour included the following: access up to the Crown of the Statue of Liberty, priority entry into the Boarding Queue, which saved us wait time at the departure point and access to the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island.
We took the metro to Battery Park and then took a ferry to Ellis Island, where we visited the Immigration Museum. The line to the ferry went through a security check point. Our ferry just left the shore.
During our ferry boat ride, we had an opportunity to enjoy a beautiful view of Manhattan.
Everyone on the ferry was busy taking pictures.
Approaching the Statue of Liberty.
The Statue of Liberty is situated on Liberty Island. According to Wikipedia, the copper statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, a French sculptor, was built by Gustave Eiffel and dedicated on October 28, 1886. It was a gift to the United States from the people of France.
The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess, who bears a torch and a tabula ansata (a tablet evoking the law) upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The seven spikes of the statue symbolize seven continents. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States, and was a welcoming sight to immigrants arriving from abroad.
The ferry ride from Battery park to Liberty Island was quick, about 15 minutes. Most of the crowd left the ferry here, but we continued to Ellis Island to visit the Immigration Museum first. Our Liberty Crown Tour was scheduled at 2 P.M, so we wouldn’t have enough time to visit Ellis Island after that. We didn’t exit the Ferry at this point as the next stop was Ellis Island.
Here is the Main Immigration Building. Today, it is a place where visitors can spend hours learning about Ellis Island’s history before, during, and after its use as America’s immigration station. The museum also tells the stories of why so many people immigrated to America and what became of them after they arrived. Ellis Island afforded the 12 million immigrants, who passed through these now quiet halls from 1892 to 1954, seeking the opportunity to attain the American dream for themselves and their descendants.
The museum is large with numerous rooms and interesting exhibits.
Here is the Registry Room of the National Museum of Immigration. Today, the enormous arched windows and immense open spaces of the Registry Room evoke a feeling of grandeur. For the immigrants, however, the room was often a loud, confusing and frightening place. Nearly every day, for over two decades (1900-1924) the Registry Room was filled with new arrivals waiting to be inspected and registered by Immigration Service officers. On many days, over 5,000 people would file through the space. It was here that immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations. Here they encountered the complex demands of the immigration laws and an American bureaucracy that could either grant or withhold permission to land in the United States.
The Registry Room has been restored to its appearance in 1918-24, including several original wooden benches. Photographs of the room during other time periods can be seen on the east and west ends of the balcony (from the stand in the Registry Room).
In one of the rooms on the first floor of the museum.
At the back of the museum building.
It was time to leave for Liberty Island. We took the same Statue Cruises ferry as on the way here. Ferries leave from Battery Park every 30 to 40 minutes depending on the time of year.
Leaving cute Ellis Island.
Shortly, we were able to see the Statue of Liberty again.
The Statue of Liberty Monument was given to the United States from France to celebrate the friendship the two endured during the American Revolution. The Statue of Liberty over the years has symbolized the freedom and the democracy of the United States.
For millions of immigrants, the first glimpse of America was the Statue of Liberty, growing from a vaguely defined figure on the horizon into a towering, stately colossus.
Entrance to the island started at this wooden pier. We exited the ferry and proceeded to the Statue of Liberty entrance building.
Here is the very entrance to Statue of Liberty. There is a café and a couple of snack stands surrounding the statue as well as a visitor’s center to tour. There is also a souvenir shop to take something back home.
We arrived an hour early, but they allowed us to take the tour right away. The security check here is more thorough than any airport screening, which is completely understandable, and it is required to deposit any bags in a locker.
We took an elevator from the ground level to the Pedestal level and started our tour from there. Crown access includes the original torch display, the Liberty Island Museum, and the pedestal observation level.
A museum inside the statue is everything it should be: informative, entertaining, and quickly viewed. Highlights include the original flame (which was replaced because of water damage), full-scale replicas of Lady Liberty’s face and one of her feet, Bartholdi’s alternate designs for the statue, and a model of Eiffel’s intricate framework. Here is the Statue of Liberty’s original torch.
We were able to see panoramic views at the pedestal observation level, limited views of Brooklyn from the crown level, and Alexandre Gustave Eiffel’s framework that supports the Statue of Liberty. There is a terrace around the statue, from where we were able enjoy the view of the island and the Manhattan skyline.
Ellis Island looks so neat from the terrace.
There is a double-helix spiral staircase to the top of the statue, which we had to walk. On one side of the stairs everyone walked up; on the other – down. There is no elevator inside the Statue. A walk from the ground floor to the Statue of Liberty’s crown is roughly equal to walking up a 22 story building! We climbed the 393 stairs up inside the statue for an unforgettable view from the crown. The final 162 steps from the top of the pedestal to the crown are narrow and tight. Everything looked nice and clean after the renovation.
Here is the Statue of Liberty’s crown from the inside. The Crown area is very small. Visits to the crown include viewing out the twenty-four windows at the surrounding New York Harbor. Here are a few of the 24 windows seen behind our backs in the photo below.
This is the opposite side of the crown room from where we were photographed.
We were able to see only a little piece of the Statue of Liberty: a hand holding the torch.
A view from one of the Crown windows.
Back on the stairs, walking down.
Once down we had the opportunity to walk the grounds of the Statue of Liberty, read all of the plaques, take pictures, and enjoy the incredible view of Manhattan. The statue is big and magnificent and the views of the city are impressive.
The Statue of Liberty’s pedestal from the outside.
The view of Manhattan is amazing from here.
Leaving Liberty Island.
We couldn’t get enough of the Statue of Liberty’s view. The Statue of Liberty is definitely a must visit. We loved the experience!
While riding the ferry, we had a chance to enjoy the water entertainment from the FDNY, which was pretty and unusual.
Almost at Battery Park. The Manhattan skyline was getting closer.
And even closer with the telephoto shots.
At the pier we were greeted by living breathing “Statues of Liberty”. 🙂
We spent almost all day on the tour and were pretty tired. Later, we dedicated some time to shopping by visiting some stores, such as COS, Zara and others in the quieter, not as touristy area. The rest of the evening we spent at the vibrant Times Square.
While in NYC, tasting food from the street vendors is a required part of the experience. Although, we were really surprised at how good the kebab from this street vendor was.
We were able to find a spare table to eat our kebabs, listen to the music, watch the people and enjoy Times Square’s unique atmosphere.
The next day we were leaving, but had to stop at COS, because I left my iPhone there the night before while we were shopping in the area. I can’t believe how quiet it was here at 11 in the morning. I got my phone back and we headed for DC.
We stopped at Don Pablo’s Mexican restaurant in New Jersey on our way home and had a huge lunch. I like our short trips to New York, each time discovering something new. Here are the earlier NYC posts about Christmas and Chinatown.
