Then we headed towards the queue waiting for the ferry.  It was a very long wait.  But there were other people collecting money and entertaining the crowd waiting in the queue.  Few were juggling and few were playing musical instruments.  I was astonished when I heard one of them playing our national anthem in his violin.  It was really surprising and that foreigner knows how to attract people in a tourist spot.  He was changing his music according to the people who went to watch him perform.  The wait was for nearly an hour and finally our turn came and we reached the upper deck of the ferry so that we can have the spectacular views of the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the world famous buildings and bridges of the New York City skyline.  The view from the ferry was breathtaking.  Since it was Memorial Day weekend, lot of security precautions were taken by the government and visitors were not allowed to climb the monument.  We could see lot of military aircrafts flying frequently in the area watching and protecting.  We could feel the after effects of September 11th attack then. 

We reached Statue of Liberty Monument and started taking pictures of the Monument.  Only when we went very close we could realize how big it was.  Here goes the history of the monument.  The Statue of Liberty, located in New York Harbor, was a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States over one hundred years ago in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy.  The Statue was a joint effort between America and France and it was agreed upon that the American people were to build the pedestal, and the French people were responsible for the Statue and its assembly here in the United States. 

Sculptor Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was commissioned to design a sculpture with the year 1876 in mind for completion, to commemorate the centennial of the American Declaration of Independence.  Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) was commissioned to design the massive iron pylon and secondary skeletal framework, which allows the Statue's copper skin to move independently yet stand upright.  Pedestal construction was finished in April of 1886. The Statue was completed in France in July, 1884 and arrived in New York Harbor in June of 1885 on board the French frigate "Isere" which transported the Statue of Liberty from France to the United States. In transit, the Statue was reduced to 350 individual pieces and packed in 214 crates. The Statue was re-assembled on her new pedestal in four months time. On October 28th 1886, the dedication of the Statue of Liberty took place in front of thousands of spectators. 

Visitors climb 354 steps to reach the crown or 192 steps in order to reach the top of the pedestal. We were not allowed to climb the monument because of security threat.  There are 25 windows in the crown, which symbolize gemstones found on the earth and the heaven's rays shining over the world. The seven rays of the Statue's crown represent the seven seas and continents of the world. The tablet that the Statue holds in her left hand reads (in Roman numerals) "July 4th, 1776."  Winds of 50 miles per hour cause the Statue to sway 3 inches (7.62cm) and the torch sways 5 inches (12.70cm). I really can't believe that it sways in the wind.  Another important and surprising thing about the statue is its color. Everyone knows that it's made of copper but now the color of the statue is green. I actually thought it was painted in that color. Then I came to know that it was due to a chemical reaction. When copper is exposed to air, it undergoes chemical reactions that form layers of corrosion. This natural protective process, called patination, can be seen at work on the Statue's skin. We came to know that it took nearly 30 years for it to get oxidized and turn into the color that we see now.

After visiting the monument we took the ferry and came back to the Battery Park where we saw one or two people dressed like the liberty statue attracting the visitors for money.  People were very eager to take pictures with them.  It was fun.  How else can we take a close-up shot with Statue of Liberty?  We also took pictures with them. Then we were held up by a group of youngsters performing tap dance. I wondered how their feet could be so fast and yet keeping up the beat.  Our legs ached while watching them perform.  We enjoyed their amazing performance.  Then we headed towards the Empire State building. On our way we reached the disaster site of the World Trade Center. The surrounding areas and buildings were still a mess. We could see damages in the adjacent buildings and most of them were still closed. People were working at the site to clear the rubbles.  We could see lot of posters and materials signed by friends, relatives and others remembering the event and people who lost their lives due to the attack.  It was really saddening to see that place and all those hand written posters.  Nothing like that should ever happen in the human history again.

Let's Visit the Empire State Building Next week........