So today we managed to get our act together and get up on time to make our way to visit the Statue of Liberty.
We caught the number 1 train at 72nd Street Downtown to 14th (as the rest of the way is still damanged by water from Hurricane Sandy), and switched services to Wall St which is right near Battery Park - the launching place for the Statue Ferry.
The train ride was great, taking us little over 15 minutes to make our way down the island underground. We got off at Wall St, and had a look around at the country's financial institutions. It was still a mess down this end of the island, as the water rose well above sea level during the hurricane. We walked along the river front, and lots of work was being done to restore it to operational glory. The buildings are huge down in the Financial District, and we were dwafed by them. The walk around to Battery Park was lovely, as we again chose a day with fantastic weather to get out and about. We passed historic docks, and helicopters taking people on tours over the city, and eventually arrived at the port at about 10am. It was relatively quiet, and we didn't have to wait in line to get our tickets redeemed. As Liberty and Ellis island, both included as stops on the tickets, were damanged drastically during the huge storm, the public cannot visit these islands at the moment. So the company running the cruises did a hour tour of New York Harbour, and pointed out historic icons, buildings and stories from the past.
One of the highlights of our trip so far, was seeing the Statue of Liberty. Her stern stare welcomes any incoming boats, as she has done for the past 126 years, to a land of freedom for immigrants. Built in 1886, she was a present from the French to the Americans as a sign of friendship. A French sculpture, with the help of a young Andre Gustave Eiffel, designed and built the enourmous copper statue, and shipped it over in pieces to New York where the Americans had built her pedestal. She has been given a number of restorations since, the latest closing public access inside the statue between 2011-2012. Since 2004, after the 9/11 attacks, access the crown has been forbidden until recently, and to get a ticket is up to a years wait for the privelage. When open, any one can access the pedestal, which includes information, plaques and a museum.
Such an icon, we took some amazing photos of her holding her torch and tablet symbolizing freedom for people around the world.
After the tour, we stopped at the 9/11 memorial of the Twin Towers. It is a horrible, sad location and we both felt so bad even being there as many innocent people lost their lives that day in 2001. We didn't stay long, and made our way back on the subway to our hotel for a breather.
After lunch and drink, we walked through Central Park to the East side, stopping and talking to squirrels on the way through. If you make noises like you would to get a cat's attention, they come running for you to investigate if you have food. They get really close, figured out we had nothing, gave us a look of disgust, and ran back into the gardens to find nuts.
Steph wanted to go shopping at the New York traditional jeweller of Tiffany & Co. The 3 floor building in the 5th Avenue mecca of prime retailers was a success... Steph walked out with a few little blue bags... and a credit card bill to reflect. Lucky for work to pay off in a few weeks time!
We walked home, exhausted, with the sun setting and our tummies rumbling. A hotchocolate from Starbucks was a must, and back home we made it after a full day of walking and exploring more od this amazing city.
