Liberty Island

It was a warm and absolutely gorgeous autumn day in mid-October in New York City. It was my second ever day in New York City, and I was very excited to see what other amazing things I could see and experience in this amazing city. That day, we did the boat cruise to see the Statue of Liberty - arguably the most recognized and famous monument in the entire world.

Everyone has always said that the Statue of Liberty is a massive monument, and it is. I knew that it was going to be huge. But, I did not know it would be that huge. You can see it from afar. As your ferry gets closer and closer, you realize that the French were very generous in gifting Lady Liberty to the United States of America!

When I was on this trip in New York City, I was not there on my own, or with a group of friends. Nor did I plan the trip alone.

The University of Ottawa's International House plans an annual New York City trip during the Canadian Thanksgiving long-weekend, which is always in the middle of October. The trip is heavily subsidized. It is an amazing price for everything that you will see, do, experience, and for all the amazing memories and friends you will make. It costs only $310CAD for three days in New York City, with transportation and accommodation included. Be warned, though, spots for this trip do fill up incredibly fast, so I recommend that you book as soon as you possibly can!

We went on the boat cruise late in the morning, and early on in the afternoon. That same morning, our tour guide took our group to Wall Street, Trinity Church, the 9/11 Memorial, and Battery Park.

All the above tourist attractions are within walking distance of each other, so you can really see a lot of attractions in a very short period of time, so you have even more stuff to do later on!

I would also recommend seeing the things I saw, and at the same times as well, because it will truly maximize what you see and do in New York City.

Battery Park should be your last attraction before the boat cruise to Liberty Island, because the ferry itself leaves right from Battery Park. Battery Park is a park that is surrounded by nice and tall art déco buildings, with an amazing view of the ocean and the Statue of Liberty. It is absolutely perfect for a little picnic - and I say little because you do not want to get sick on the boat! It is a gorgeous park, and the perfect spot for a break.

Now about the actual boat cruise. I strongly, strongly recommend that you either order or purchase tickets for the Statue of Liberty cruise before-hand, because the lineups to buy tickets are huge. You can easily be stuck waiting in line for hours on end. And this is just to purchase the tickets. You also need to remember that you must go through security scanners and metal detectors, as well as a potential pat-down, just to ensure everyone's safety. That being said, try to not have a lot of metal on you that day. Try not to lose your friends, as the crowd in the security section is very, very large, and it is very easy to lose your group. Stay together!

Make sure you also board the same ferry - as they do fill up quite quick, and it is very easy to get lost in the crowd! When you do get onto the ferry, go straight to the top deck! From the top deck of the ferry, you will get the best view of the famous New York City skyline. And you will smell the nice ocean breeze, and feel the warmth of the autumn sun on your face!

The boat ride is not as long as one would imagine. In fact, it was less than half an hour. It took around fifteen to twenty minutes. Enjoy the view, and take as many pictures as you can! You will be stunned. I cannot stress that enough. I was in such a dazze for the whole boat ride. It is such an amazing feeling. You will love every second of it.

When you reach Liberty Island, you will be hit by the smell of salt water. That was actually what struck me the most. The smell of the ocean. It reminded me a lot of my childhood and spending my summers at the ocean with my family.

Liberty Island is not as big - it is a round island, that is very well maintained. You can easily go around the whole island in around half an hour. Although I did not get the chance to do this, I recommend that, if you have the time to do so, you go up to the very top of the Stature of Liberty. It is possible to go all the way up. I am not sure if it costs money or not, but I can probably guarantee you that it will be worth it. The view from up there must be amazing.

And let me tell you, Lady Liberty is quite a beautiful lady. Wouldn't you agree?!

After you stop at Liberty Island, you will board the ferry again. Next stop: Ellis Island! Ellis Island is not talked about much, if at all. I, myself, have never actually heard of this island until I went on this boat cruise. Ellis Island is a beautiful and small island as well. But, there is much, much more history here! As we all know, the United States of America were basically built with immigration and immigrant labour. The Ellis Island Museum of Immigration is something that is worth seeing, and it really is worth taking the time to see. It is important to commemoriate and educate ourselves about the immigrants that sacrificed everything they had to come to the United States of America and start a new life! Unfortunately, since I was on a group tour of New York City, and we were running slightly behind on our schedule, I did not get to spend as much time on Ellis Island as I would have liked to. Though, from what I did see, it was very interesting, and very educational! And quite the alternative New York City tourist experience!

After you are finished on Ellis Island, the ferry will take you back to the starting point - Battery Park. Since Battery Park is very close to everything, I recommend going for lunch or dinner in Little Italy, or in Chinatown!

My last tip for those going on the Liberty Island ferry cruise - go early in the morning. Beat the rush of tourists. This way you will see everything you want to see, without being rushed, and at the pace you want, and you will also have the time to explore more of the city later.

Bring your camera, enjoy the sight and smell of the ocean, and smile!

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most obviously well-known and beloved monuments in America. The statue is strategically placed to welcome immigrants arriving in New York harbour, and to welcome homecoming residents back to their country. It has become a lasting symbol of freedom all over the globe. The statue was a gift given to the United States by France as a symbol of friendship between the two countries: France supported the United States during the revolutionary wars. The two countries shared similar points of views and political situations in 1865, and it was this which lead to Edouard Laboulaye René designing a monument to symbolise the friendship between the two countries.

The Statue of Liberty was dedicated in 1886. Over the years, the Statue of Liberty has come to symbolise the foundations of freedom and democracy the United States is built upon.

Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design the statue before a finishing date of 1876, to celebrate the centenary of the American Declaration of Independence. The statue was the result of the joint efforts of the United States and France, with France constructing and designing the posture and figure itself, and the United States completing the supporting pedestal. Bartholdi needed the help of an engineer to address the structural problems of the sculpture's design, similar to Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the designer behind the Eiffel Tower. These problems were resolved, and the statue would stand firm because of this.

Funds to build the Statue of Liberty were hard to obtain for both countries. In France, entertainment, public prices and a national lottery would help to raise the money needed. In the United States, things progressed much slower. Auctions, diverse entertainment events and arguments provided some funding. Joseph Pulitzer decided that it was necessary to obtain public interest in and focus on the statue to raise the sum needed, and published an appeal to the upper and middle classes to help finance this important icon of the United States as the leading article in his newspaper. The funds were finally raised for the pedestal at the end of August 1885, and construction work on the building finished in 1886. In France, the statue was finished in 1884, and arrived in New York habrour in 1885 aboard the French ship 'Isere'.

The statue was divided in 350 individual parts which were then placed in 214 crates to transport it to the United States. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place, ten years after the 1876 centenary. The statue was placed on the granite pedestal atop a star-shaped base.

Until 1901, the USA Lighthouse Committee was responsible for the Statue of Liberty. In 1901, the War Department took control of the statue. On October 15th 1924, a presidential announcement proclaimed Fort Hood and the Statue of Liberty national monuments. The national monument caught the attention of the National Parks Department in 1933, and a few years later, the jurisdiction of the monument included the whole of Bedloe Island. The island's name was changed to Liberty Island in 1956.

President Ronald Reagan announced his intention to restore the Statue of Liberty in 1982. The total funds needed for a year's restauration works would be $87 million dollars. In 1984, the United Nations declared the Statue of Liberty a World Heritage Site, and the restauration works finished on July 5th 1986, when the statue also celebrated its centenary,

The Statue of Liberty was closed following the terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001. The monument remained closed until August 2004. Today, visitors have access to the observation platform inside the pedestal and inside the statue itself, to the maritime promenade, and to Fort Hood and Ellis Island. The poem 'The New Colossus' by Emma Lazarus was written about the Statue of Liberty, and a bronze plaque with the words of the poem inscribed on it was installed in 1903, twenty years after the poem's composition.

Legends surrounding the statue

According to a study financed by the National Parks Department, 'the majority of the Black Statue of Liberty rumors refer to a model owned by the Museum of the City of New York as proof that the original model for the statue was a black woman'. While many believe that the concept for the statue came from a huge statue known to have stood in Ancient Egypt, and that the women who posed for the designers were black Egyptians, the study confirmed that there was no evidence to believe that the designers had any intention of representing freedom in the form of a black woman.

The statue's creator, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, was a strong opposer of the slave trade. The study affirms however that the statue was not intended entirely to be a monument to the abolition of slavery. This being so, the presence of chains at the statue's feet combined with the ideal of a black model has provoked interesting debate.