Hanging Out With Lady Liberty!
Yep, that’s exactly what I did, because it’s easy and fun to cruise by a magnificent piece of history!
The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The statue symbolizes freedom and welcoming immigrants to America as they arrived by ship.
It’s cool to see up close, and it’s easy to grab a boat to get to it as well!
There’s the Freedom Tower to the left, and that’s lower Manhattan and Wall Street just to the right of it…
Tours for the Statue of Liberty involve a ferry trip with various ticket options, including access to the grounds, pedestal, or crown, and can be booked through the only authorized vendor, Statue City Cruises. You can also opt for non-stop sightseeing cruises that pass by the statue, offering a nice view in a short trip.
I took my daughter, her husband and kids to see it up close, and we opted for a special 40-minute cruise around it, which also gives you a nice view of the city skyline as well…and then, here she comes!
So incredible!
The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France, built in Paris, and completed in 1884.
Here’s more details: the statue “symbolizes freedom, with its seven-pointed crown representing the seven continents/seas, holding a tablet with the date of American Independence, and standing on Liberty Island, originally built in copper that turned green from oxidation.”
Yes, LADY LIBERTY DIDN’T START OUT GREEN!
The state has oxidized over the years, but it gives her an iconic look for sure!
Designed by Bartholdi with an internal structure by Eiffel, yes the Eiffel Tower guy, and here’s something else: she sways in the wind and has 354 crown steps!
We had a great time taking the boat, as you get some great views in the half hour you circle it…as well as incredible views of lower Manhattan as well.
After you explore New York’s iconic locations, you can also eat at one of the oldest restaurants as well!
While the kids didn’t want a plate of Mutton, this dish is one of New York’s most iconic offerings – at a restaurant that also has 50,000 clay smoking pipes on display!
There is so much to enjoy in New York, like some of the oldest restaurants in America like Keen’s!
Click here for more history and my food review – part of my “Oldest Food In New York” series:
Back to the Statue of Liberty…want a really cool way to see it?
Check this video – and wait until the end when Lady Liberty pops up!
Yep, you can see the Statue when you are walking cross the iconic Brooklyn Bridge!
See how much fun those 6,016 steps are by clicking here!
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Categories: Exotic Travel, food blog, Memoirs, New York, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir
johnrieber 
This was a wonderful post, John. I often think of the immigrants arriving by boat, and what it must have felt like to see the Statue of Liberty before they arrived at Ellis Island.
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Yes Jennie, and in today’s dark times it’s important to remember we were that bright shining beacon to the world…
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I lived in NYC in the 1990s, and I still can’t get used to not seeing the Twin Towers. I always feel like something’s missing, and it makes me very sad. Anyway, great pics!
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Yes, that’s a great point. I was in New York that day and I shared the story of it – but it took twenty years for me to do so. I still can’t look at any footage of that day….so tragic.
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Hi John, I learned a lot about the statue of liberty from this post. Thank you.
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Thank you for the note Robbie! Sorry that our government has decided NOT to be welcoming any longer to people from many other countries.
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💔🤗
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Thanks for the ferry ideas. We’ve traveled to NYC often over the years and, for whatever reason, have never made the trip to the Statue of Liberty. Need to change that.
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Have been twice – once the very first time in NY in my early twenties and then, quite a while later, to show my own young daughters on their first trip . . . struck fine days both times and did get off the boat and did some climbing. A part of US history one should kind of witness firsthand. Was not aware you had a daughter and family thru’ her . . . heartwarmingly lovely . . .
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My wife and I enjoyed taking a ferry out to the statue years ago. One funny story about that trip is that we unexpectedly got caught in a downpour on the way back to the mainland. There was only so much overhang on the boat, and we couldn’t get under for shelter. We literally were soaked from head to toe to the point it was hysterical. We looked like a couple of waifs. Our vehicle was miles away (pre-Uber days). Rather than take a taxi or walk back to the car, we just decided to go to the theatre the way we were after stopping at a sidewalk cafe for pizza. You should have seen the looks from the people when we walked into the theatre. Who let these people in? 🤣🤣🤣
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The one and only time I saw the Statue of Liberty, from a tour boat, I cried. She would have been the first thing my 5 year old grandfather would have seen when he entered New York Harbour in 1911, coming by boat from Germany to a new continent. He told me he was so excited. Later I was able to do some research through The Statue of Liberty—Ellis Island Foundation and found the manifest and a picture of the boat, The SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie. Just thinking of all the people Lady Liberty has welcomed to America makes me thankful. Looks like you had a great time with your family.
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WOW – that’s incredible! Thank you for sharing: it’s a symbol of freedom and welcoming, but our current administration is destroying that sadly.
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It is a sad situation right now but it won’t last. I strongly believe the American people are too strong to let a few destroy what they stand for.
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What a great city to visit! We loved our walk across the Brooklyn Bridge and our cruise around Lady Liberty!
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That video I shared was from our walk!
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Yay! 🤩
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She and Ellis Island are worth a stop. I think you’d love walking the museums, as you soak in the history, the haunting echoes of those who hope for an end to their suffering after a long journey.
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I plan to do that but on this trip we had kids and it was their first time ever in New York so we had a lot of places to hit between rainstorms! But I will! Thanks for the note!
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