Date of Visit: 10 Sep 2019
The Statue of Liberty
A symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty is a must-visit US iconic sight on Liberty Island in the New York Harbour.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from the people of France to the people of the US in 1886 and was created by the French sculptor and painter Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.
The Statue of Liberty is made of copper and represents a woman depicted as Lady Liberty, wearing a crown and standing with a torch in her raised right hand and holding a tablet in her left hand showing the USA’s Declaration of Independence dated 4 July 1776.
The Statue stands on a stone pedestal, designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt. The stone pedestal is almost as tall as the Statue. The statue’s total height from the ground to the tip of the torch is about 305 ft (93 m). This is equivalent to the height of a 22-storey building. In 1886, the Statue was the tallest structure in New York City.
The Statue is green due to the oxidation of copper used for its construction.
The torch of the Statue is a copper flame covered in 24K gold and is lit by 16 floodlights at night, symbolising enlightenment and lighting the path to freedom. Notably, the torch we see today is a replacement torch. The original torch was in conditions deemed beyond repair and was removed in 1984. Visitors can still view the original torch as an exhibit in the Statue of Liberty Museum located on Liberty Island.
The crown of the Statue has seven rays, symbolising the seven seas and the seven continents. The interior of the crown is an observation deck and visitors can look out from the crown’s 25 windows. To get to the crown, visitors need to have fairly good fitness to climb up 162 narrow and tight steps from the top of the pedestal.
The Statue is oriented to face southeast towards North Atlantic Ocean away from the US mainland such that ships entering New York Harbour will be able to see the Statue as a welcoming symbol to the US.
The Statue of Liberty is only accessible by Statue City Cruises from either New York City Battery Park or New Jersey Liberty State Park.
Access to the crown is limited and is extremely popular with visitors. Booking is separate from the Statue City Cruises and needs to be placed months in advance. I did not book access to the crown early enough and I missed the opportunity to get to the crown.
Liberty Island
Liberty Island, where the Statue of Liberty is located, has a land area of 14.717 acres (5.956 ha) and is roughly the size of 8 soccer fields.
The Statue is located in the southeast part of the Island. The coastal walk paths around the Statue allow visitors to view the details of the Statue from different angles.
Statue of Liberty Museum
Other than the Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island also contains the Statue of Liberty Museum, which opened in 2019 and exhibits the Statue’s original torch, and highlights its history and building process. The Statue of Liberty Museum enhances visitors’ experience and understanding of the Statue of Liberty.
Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
Statue City Cruises also include a visit to the nearby Ellis Island, which houses the National Museum of Immigration. The National Museum of Immigration building was the first US Immigration Inspection Station, which, since starting operations in 1892, had processed over 12 million mostly European immigrants.
The museum provides extensive historical information about US immigrants and immigration over more than 100 years in display panels, photographs, videos, infographics, etc.
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A symbol of freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty is a must-visit US iconic sight on Liberty Island in the New York Harbour.