The Statue of Liberty

Sister ship Miss Ellis Island

We rode out to the Statue of Liberty on Miss New York, which was not fully laden because we managed to get under way earlier in the day.  Went through two completely separate layers of airport-style security (empty your pockets, take off your watch and belt and shoes, walk through the scanners).  We were allowed up to the top of the pedestal, not far below the feet and about 27 m off the ground.  The highest point of the torch is 93 m up.  Only those who had the foresight to book months ahead get to climb right up into the crown on the head of the statue.

Statue and pedestal

The story behind the statue is very interesting, as you can learn from the extensive displays inside the pedestal.  Holding up the copper skin is a sort of mini Eiffel Tower designed by the engineer Eiffel himself.  We saw some of the full-size wooden formers built so that the metalworkers could beat the shapes of the statue out of copper sheet.  The whole thing was erected in Paris first, then dismantled and shipped to New York.  It was then years before the money could be raised to put it up.  In the 1980's thousands of iron parts were replaced with stainless steel, because the iron was rusting.

Inside the pedestal

Ellis Island registration hall

The same trip took us to nearby Ellis Island, the immigration facility built to handle the millions of people who came to America from Europe in the 1910's and 1920's, and later.  The centre fell into decay when it was closed decades ago, but has now been fully restored and serves as an extensive museum which takes you through the stories of people who came here, and the immigration vetting processes used to filter out "undesirables".  Both islands also have cafes and gift shops, as well as areas of lawn and trees where you can rest your weary bones, out of the heat and sun.