The Statue of Liberty is America's symbol of freedom. It is also one of the most iconic architecture of the US. When you ask people who has never been in the US, what they would want to see if they have a chance to go to the US, 99% of them would probably have the Statue of Liberty on their list.
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| Stop at Ellis Island |
Most of the ferries going to the Liberty Island stop at Ellis Island, such as the one we rode on. We decided to go ahead and disembark at Ellis Island since the ferry stops there. It has a few interesting exhibits about the history of people immigrating to the United States. They have a time line of how much people from certain places immigrate to the US, the process that immigrants go though, and some baggage that were left by the first immigrants. Exhibits here are mostly for history buffs so we see why some people skip this stop; and the people who decide to disembark here are too excited to see the Statue of Liberty to be interested in looking at history graphs and artifacts.
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| Ellis Island: Immigration Museum |
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| Some of the baggage left by the first immigrants |
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| Nice time to take a photo of Lady Liberty while in the ferry |
Riding the ferry while looking at the Statue of Liberty is probably the highlight of the trip. The view is breath taking. Not only you get to see the statue but also the pedestal its on with the people surrounding it, as well as the whole Liberty Island. This is also a great opportunity for you to take a photo of it. The statue faces opposite the pier so you'll be looking at the back of the statue while disembarking the ferry and walking towards it.
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| While in the ferry to Liberty island |
As you walk, you will pass by a few staff offering guided tours and audio tours for you to maximize your stay at the island and know more of the history and the significance of the statue in American history. You will also pass by a souvenir shop with fastfood stalls.
Once you are right in front of the statue is when the magic starts. It's hard to put in words how magnificent it really looks up-close. We found ourselves staring at it for a few minutes without uttering a word at each other. We saw most people doing the same thing. This is more true if you come early in the morning when there are not that many people there. If you come at a busy hour, most people are just fighting for a decent spot to take a picture of themselves with the statue.
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| Photo of the statue while in Liberty Island |
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| Ferry ride to the statue |
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| View from Ellis Island |
Once you are right in front of the statue is when the magic starts. It's hard to put in words how magnificent it really looks up-close. We found ourselves staring at it for a few minutes without uttering a word at each other. We saw most people doing the same thing. This is more true if you come early in the morning when there are not that many people there. If you come at a busy hour, most people are just fighting for a decent spot to take a picture of themselves with the statue.
