Liberty enlightening the world? (Statue of Liberty)

Member Name: Zenith

Product:	Statue of Liberty
Date:	02/07/00 (93 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You can say you went to the Statue of Liberty

Disadvantages: It won't exactly change your life

In a city filled with "must see" landmarks this has to be in the top three (the others being The Empire State Building and The World Trade Center). Like the immigrants of the past tourists are irresistibly drawn to Lady Liberty. I went last July and there is no doubt that it is a sight you just have to see. Whether it is worth it or not...

The only way to access the Statue is by ferry. Ferries leave from Battery Park which is found on the southern tip of Manhattan island. A round trip ticket is purchased at Castle Clinton National Monument and costs $7 for adults and $3 for kids. The view from the ferry of the Manhattan skyline is great - be warned though that in just about all the pictures you take your hair will be blowing all over the place - it gets a wee bit windy on the journey. Ferries stop first at Liberty Island and then at Ellis Island before returning to Battery Park and this fair includes entry to both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigrant museum - donations are encouraged. We travelled to Battery park by taxi because at this stage of our holiday we were still a bit wary of the subway. If I was to go back I would have no qualms about taking the subway - it's clean and, provided you travel at the usual busy times, safe.

During the summer the ferries start leaving from 8.30am and stop at 6.30pm. This is very important information as only those who travel on the 8.30am ferry have access to the crown of the Statue. We were quite annoyed to discover this - our guidebook stated that the opening time was 9.30am and we were initially very disappointed not to be able to visit the crown.

This disappointment was soon replaced by intense boredom - the queue was unbelievable. As I said we got there fairly soon after it had opened but we still had about a two hour wait as we wound our way into the statue. I dread to think how long we would have to wait if we had turned up at say lunchtime. I strongly recomme
nd you get there early. I have to say that the wait isn't really worth it. If you can't get to the crown then you have to make do with a wee wander round the pedestal which, while it gives a good view of Manhattan, leaves you too close to the Statue to really appreciate it. Inside you will find a museum dedicated to the construction and renovation of this landmark. This was quite interesting but didn't really tell me anything I hadn't read in the guide book. I know it has to be done but it's not really worth the queuing up.

The strange thing about the statue is that it is much smaller than I was expecting - maybe it's because every other building in Manhattan is enormous but Lady Liberty struck me as no where near as impressive as, say, the Eiffel tower.

Once you have done the statue there really isn't all that much else on Liberty island to do or see. It all seemed a wee bit of an anticlimax to be honest - maybe it was the disappointment of missing out on getting right up to the top, I don't know. However once you are back on the ferry you will be taken to Ellis island which really redeemed the trip. This is a fascinating place and really deserves a category of its own.

Overall I would say - yes of course you have to go see it - but it's not exactly one of the wonders of the modern world. If you are going to go - get there early and be prepared for a long wait. And whatever you do - don't miss Ellis Island. That is the real star of the ferry trip.

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