For the first time since 9-11, Lady Liberty will reopen to the public. Visitors will climb the 354 steps to the ‘crown’ of Miss Liberty to look out into the New York harbor. Spectators will look out windows just under the points of her crown.
Not everyone will be able to go up to the top. 30 people an hour to go up to the crown which has been off limits since 9-11. New railings have been installed to help with the climb. The cost of a visit to the crown costs $15.00. Tickets, which went on sale June 13, are sold out through August. So far, some 14,500 have been sold.
Fox News tells us more.
I didn’t even know they were doing this! I remember climbing the stairs when I was very young, it was a neat thing to do. Will have to get back there now that it is open. I get up to NJ fairly often as I have family there, and was out to Liberty Island about 2 years ago as my wife had never been there. We went out near the end of the day and it was pretty at sunset. Definitely would like to get inside the statue now that it is reopened!
This is just another reason to hate Bush and his cowardly ways.On 9/11/2001 Bush ran around the country on Air Force One with his tail between his wimpy legs!He later became a traitor to America and invaded Iraq on lies of his administration.Closing Lady Liberty crown was just another of his cowardly acts.
It has been closed periodically through history. The torch has been closed for a long time. Bush had nothing to do with it.
Ronnie, it is probably time to look forward. It sounds like you harbor a lot of anger. Nothing you can do about the past.
Indeed, the torch was closed for safety reasons a long long time ago – it was judged too dangerous to hold people. Leave George Bush out of this, kind of a mean spirited thing to say on the 4th of July. I know there’s a lot of people who hate him, but couldn’t you just set aside your hatred for him for just one day out of the year? Or is that too much to ask? I guess it is for some really hateful people out there like “Ronnie”.
I remember climbing those twisted stairs in 1977. The stairs themselves I trully believe contributed to my fear o heights today. And after hours online on the steps I finally made it into the crown..and guess what??? The line was moving fast, and the windows were so dirty, and I actually saw nothing. The crown is not a huge tourist stop, like the roof of the empire state building is, but is more like a short hallway with dirty windows one is hustled thru.
They were probably cleaned up for the occassion for the new grand opening. I remember going up when I was very young. I might have been way too short to see out those windows. I was about 6.
DB – your description of the dirty windows matches my memories of it – last time I was inside the statue was in the earlier 70’s, but it wasn’t any better then. I was to Liberty Island a year and a half ago a few days before Thanksgiving – around sunset and it was really beautiful. Of course I knew the statue was closed at the time. I am assuming they have cleaned up the windows now! I have a fear of heights, but don’t think the statue contributed to it. The torch hasn’t been open in many years, and I understand that the climb up to it is even worse than going to the crown! It makes sense, the arm isn’t very wide, so it must be one really narrow staircase and extremely windy.
I forget how many steps it is up to the top of the crown – but I’m sure that is easily found out by going to the website for the statue. I would like to go back there and go up to the crown just for nostalgic purposes. If my memory is correct I was to the crown 3 times during the time period of 1965 – 1973 roughly. It’s been a very long time anyway, and actually I had not been on Liberty Island between 1973 and 2007! I did get to Ellis Island back in 1993 or so, but that time spent so much time there didn’t get around to going over to Liberty Island.
I just read that the torch closed during WWI and never reopened to the public.
It was damaged during an explosion of an ammo plant at Black Tom Island in NJ.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tom_explosion
I had no idea it had been closed that long. Can you imagine the climb up that torch? Holy Cats!
Very interesting piece of trivia MH! I never heard the story as to how the torch was damaged, or how long it was closed – I just knew it was already closed in the mid or late 60’s when I first went there. I think though, it must be scary climbing up it – just look at the dimensions of it compared to the body – that arm is awful long and narrow. I don’t thin I’d go up there if it was open. I remember the walk to the crown seemed to be bad enough with a lot of narrow windy stairs. Would be interesting to see a picture of the inside of the arm/torch area though. That did answer my question about the number of steps though – 354! I’m assuming that’s not counting the torch – but it isn’t clear on that. I figured the torch closed in more recent times (50’s or 60’s).
I didn’t know it either, Gainesville. I discovered it I just knew it was closed by the time I got to Lady Liberty. 1917 gives me a lot of wiggle room.
Indeed, I just assumed it had been closed not too long before my first visit around 1965 or so. Shows you how little I knew. I remembered them saying it was closed due to safety reasons, but didn’t at all remember them saying exactly why, or even when. I seem to remember in 1965 they had some sort of history of it in a museum like part at the base, and that’s where it mentioned about the arm and the torch being closed for safety reasons. Well, maybe they elaborated on it and I just forgot. I went there a couple of times after 1965, but still don’t remember any thing about an ammo plant explosion in 1917 – seems like that would have stuck in my memory somehow. Anyway, I’m glad I finally after all these years learned both why it was closed and when it was closed!
I hope now that you can go back up to the crown that one of these days I’ll get to do that again. Maybe since they are letting a lot less people in each day (from the sound of it) than they did back when everyone used to go up there – you won’t be forced to hurry through – as I remember that you only were up at the top for what seemed like half a minute or so and then were on the way back down again.