Maybe because this is one of the most iconic sites of the world and probably one of the most recognizable images of USA, its pictures and stories are almost compulsory when talking about this country, something you already knew and familiar, so visiting Statue of Liberty, in my idea, was just come to see the real Lady Liberty and that’s all with no high expectation. However, the first time I saw her when I walked along riverside walkways in west side Lower Manhattan, I was very surprised to find out that the statue, even from the far, was bigger than my original thought, truly colossus, and really excited my idea to visit the place.

One year later, I revisited New York again, and Liberty Island was one of the first things I put in the plan. On foggy Tuesday late morning, the day I thought to be less touristy, but turned out to be untrue, I was one of thousands queuing for security checking and waiting for ferry at Clinton Fort in Battery Park. The ferry was indeed quite big but with the number of tourists, no space left. When Ferry almost reached the island, the view of Statue of Liberty was indeed really impressive. There also an announcement about stories of immigrants when they arrived in New York and saw the statue and Lower Manhattan skyline for the first time, an unexplainable feeling for them. I noticed that many people in the ferry started to tell stories of their ancestors to their accompanied friend and family, and I started to appreciate the site’s OUV.

On the island, every corner had tourists. Luckily that I booked a pedestal access, no chance for crown access as it was fully booked for many months, which allowed me to see inside the pedestal and Lady Liberty. After passed another security checking, I entered the pedestal, the first thing I found in the lobby room was the original torch of the statue, it was quite interesting that certain period of its history, the statue acted like a light house, and the light from the torch could be seen at least 25 miles. Then I chose to use ladder to upstairs instead of elevator since there was a long queue, a really bad decision! At the end of climbing was the small room that allowing to see the inner structure of Lady Liberty thru small glass ceiling, a very complex steel frame with copper tin, a nice thing to see but not a great sight. The best thing about pedestal access was the chance to walk around the star shaped pedestal base, here you can see the statue closely with almost no people, a nicer chance to take photo of yourself with no other tourists, a huge contrast with chaotic below! So, if you want to appreciate and admire the statue, booking for pedestal or crown access is the must.

After Liberty Island, the ferry took me to Ellis Island, a former immigration depot which was equally interesting but in the different sense from Statue of Liberty. After leisurely walked around I took a ferry back to Manhattan ending my trip. I was really pleased that Statue of Liberty was exceeding my expectation, the site was really nice, especially after I could escape all the chaotic below to pedestal base. The statue was beautiful, full of meanings and lovely surroundings. Visiting New York’s Statue of Liberty also completed my dream to see the trio of Statue of Liberty in Paris, Tokyo and New York, the three statues in different continents that uniquely link by French diplomatic friendship. All in all, Statue of Liberty is indeed a nice World Heritage Site, and a must see of world travelers.