Statue of Liberty (Statue of Liberty)

Member Name: tor0908

Product:	Statue of Liberty
Date:	10/08/09 (31 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good day out, good value for money

Disadvantages: Long queues, quite cold if you go in winter

For me personally, a trip to New York is not complete without a visit to one of it's most popular tourist attractions - The Statue of Liberty.

Situated on Liberty Island in New York Harbour it was traditionally the first sight that was seen by immigrants to the United States from Europe and beyond. For a while after the September 11 terrorist attacks the actual statue itself was closed, but now it is possible to go inside the statue, the crown itself and the torch too.

I went to the Statue of Liberty in March 2004 on one of the most unseasonably cold days of the year.

When you arrive at Battery Park - the departure point for the ferry - you need to go to the ticket office in Castle Clinton to buy your ticket. When I went it was $10 per adult for the ferry to both Liberty and Ellis Island with admission to the museum. You then join the queue for the ferry and depending on time of day, time of year etc there will be lots of people there so expect quite a wait.

Right before you board the ferry you have to go through security screening of metal detectors and x-ray scanning of bags and personal items. This doesn't actually take all that long, as long as you are organised and follow the instructions you are given. I would recommend not taking too much with you and be prepared to take off belts quickly as they can set off the metal detector.

The ferries themselves that take you to Liberty Island are quite big with seats, toilets and somewhere where you can buy drinks and snacks. It's a short journey out to Liberty Island where you disembark and can wander around at your leisure. When I went the statue itself was closed so all we could do was walk around the gardens but you still had excellent views of the statue and the Manhattan skyline across the harbour. There is a gift shop and fast food restaurant with toilets, but the queues were large so we didn't bother to make use of that.

Whenever you are ready you can go back to the ferry which takes you on to Ellis Island. If you don't want to visit here you can just stay on the ferry until it takes you back to Manhattan. Today there is a large museum on Ellis Island where you can search through the passenger manifests of ships arriving in America carrying thousands of immigrants. You can also visit the American family Immigration History Centre, The American Immigrant Wall of Honor and Ellis Island Living Theatre.

I was particularly interested as my great-great aunt had moved to America in 1912, and both she and my great-great uncle were listed on the 'Wall of Honor' on the Island. You can use the computers to search for names and find out details. We found out that my aunt travelled through Ellis Island immigration in August 16 1912 after leaving Liverpool on the Mauretania.

I think that the trip is well worth it, as the price is pretty reasonable and you are visiting one of the world's most recognisable places. If you don't mind making a day of it then this New York attraction is well worth visiting.

Summary: Fantastic day out.