Okay, this is most definately a long overdue posting from my american adventure. I’ve been struggling with a cold for two weeks, and this is seriously the first week back that I feel 100% up again. Sniff Sniff….

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New York New York, if there is one place you have to visit and make like a tourist, it is most definately the Statue of Liberty. There are many ways to ‘visit’ the Statue of Liberty: you can take a free shuttle to-fro Staten Island which provides magnificent views if you’re visiting on the cheap. If you’re in a hurry, hop on one of them tourist speedboat which just literally speeds past the Statue and you don’t get to actually get out of the boat. Suprisingly this is the more expensive option. I chose the third option; hopping on the regular good ole Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty ferry.

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I didn’t book tickets beforehand, but as we didn’t want to go up to the crown that didn’t matter. I made sure when I purchsed the tickets that it came with pedestal access, which allows you to at least enter the Statue of Liberty pedestal and the museaum that’s inside. If you are planning to hop on the Ellis Island/Statue of Liberty ferry, I would highly recommend at least ensuring that your tickets include pedestal access, otherwise all you would be allowed to do is just walk AROUND the statue. Mind, it’s still a pleasant enough stroll, but the museaum and view from inside is pretty cool. Tickets for pedestal and crown access are limited, and whilst pedestal access tickets are available for pre purchase online with a limited amount available from the ferry ticket counters, you can only get crown access tickets online. So plan ahead!

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To beat the crowds, we drove to Liberty Park and boarded the ferry from New Jersey. This beats us hiking it into New York city, making our way across downtown to Battery Park and fighting the crowds there. Liberty Park in New Jersey was pretty much deserted, and if you’re not staying in NYC and have access to a car, I would highly recommend this method. Beats queues ect. , especially if you’ve booked a Crown Access time slot. I was doubly glad when I saw the crowds piling on the return ferry to New York – the queues were looooong compared to the non-existent one towards New Jersey.

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The ferries from New Jersey goes Liberty Park-Ellis Island-Statue of Liberty-Liberty Park; and Battery Park-Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island-Battery park. So our first stop was Ellis Island, the symbol of immigrant America. It was the largest gateway (or immigration processing centre) for immigrants from all over the world to the Promised Land from 1892-1954.

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The Registry room on the second floor – where immigrants lined up in the hundreds to be processed and checked in.

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Downstairs – a star spangled banner with pictures of immigrants on the back. Simple yet impressive work of art.

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We headed towards the Statue of Liberty next. It might be the lull of the windy seawater in my hair (I love ferry rides) or the spotlessly beautiful weather, but it was a lovely ride the Liberty Island. It was almost surreal to think that many an immigrant had taken the exact same route, and what they must have felt and what Lady Liberty had meant to them, the end of a journey, the hopeful beginnings of a new life on the Promised land. Perhaps a reunion with families long estranged due to distance and economic migrations.

Personally I don’t think the experience would had been quite the same if I was speeding by on a speedboat on a gloomy and rainy day. The perfect weather most definately helps.

Whilst we were lining up for entry to the pedestal, we had people coming up to us asking us where did we purchase the tickets for entry. Unfortunately you were only allowed entry if you had the smarts to request for it whilst purchasing the ferry tickets – there is not even an extra charge for entry. So most people only got to walk around the statue instead of going in, which is a right shame. There are a maximum of 3,000 tickets available daily for entries to the monument.

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Spiral staircase up the Lady Liberty.

Incidentally, it had only been recently (2009) that access to the crown had been reopened again, after both the crown and pedestal being closed in the aftermath of 9/11. So do take the opportunity to go inside if possible. As bacon was height-adverse, we decided early on that it would not be a good idea to make the hike up to the crown.

Even then, to get to the pedestal outdoor viewing platform was a 10-storey hike. I couldn’t imagine going up on a spiral staircase all the way up the crown. Due to extremely tight security checks (complete with metal detectors and bag searches) we had to queue up for more than half an hour to get into the monument; so be prepared to wait. Also, food and drinks are strictly prohibited, so I had to finish my gummy bears and water before we got to the front of the queue. Lockers are available though if you’ve bought a picnic – and Liberty Island was most definately a good place to have a picnic.

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Replica torch inside the monument.

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Views from the pedestal viewing area

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Looking towards Manhattan. Isn’t the sky just BEAUTIFUL?

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And more views….bacon was very brave and actually went all the way around the viewing platform and we just HAD to snap a picture to prove it .

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If you missed out on tickets that allow access into Lady Liberty, you should still take the trip – the views from below is equally enthralling in a different way.

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All in all, it was a very pleasant day indeed strolling around – we thoroughly enjoyed playing tourists on both island despite getting lost in the maze that is New Jersey Turnpike and getting stuck in peak time traffic. It provided me with insight on what this famous landmark meant to the thousands of immigrants – the symbol of the Free World.

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• Happy Birthday the Land of the brave!