One major agenda item for me on this trip to New York was to
climb up to the crown in the Statue of Liberty. I have been to Liberty Island
before, but haven’t been up in Lady Liberty before, so this was a very exciting
part of my trip and a great way to start New Year’s Eve!
I certainly underestimated how long it would take to climb to
the crown and get back to Manhattan. There was a lot of security to get
through, but thank goodness no real lines. My ticket with a reservation for
crown access let me bypass all the security queues, so I suppose it could’ve
taken longer if it wasn’t for that benefit.
I had to leave everything except my camera in a locker at
the base. Mostly they’re worried about vandals scratching their name in the
paint or damaging Lady Liberty on their climb up. I made the climb with only my
camera. And what a long climb it was.
The stairs were those narrow circular, spiraling staircase
types. The kind that would be common on a ship, or perhaps like some types of
fire escapes. There wasn’t any extra room, and for a tall guy like me, there
wasn’t much headspace either. But every so often, there’d be a ledge to step
off the stairs and rest on.
After a long climb, there it was: I reached the crown where
there were gorgeous views of Manhattan, New Jersey, and the water. The space
was tight in the crown, as there was only enough room for a few people at a
time. It is much smaller that I imagined, hence why the limit access to go up
there. Looking out the windows, you can see her torch, people walking around on
the island, the ships in the harbour, and of course, the skyline of Manhattan.
This skyline view was one thing I was after. I wanted to get
a picture of Manhattan framed in by the window in Lady Liberty’s crown. The
windows were much smaller than I expected, so finding the right perspective and
getting the shot proved to be more difficult than I thought. Luckily, the far
left window was a little bigger than the rest, and had the perfect perspective
of the city.
After spending some time in the crown and having got the
right shot I was hoping for, I made my way back down the stairs, coming down the
other side. Actually, the next group of people were already making their way
into the crown, so I also had the sense it was time to move along. Plus, time
was of the essence, as I still had to get back to Times Square to queue for New
Year’s Eve, and I wanted to snap some more photos on Liberty’s pedestal before I
made my way back on the ferry.
It was a wonderful visit to Liberty Island. As I made a dash
for the ferry back to Manhattan, I realized I spent a few hours on the island.
Time sure flies when you’re hiking up narrow stairs to Lady Liberty’s crown!
