Stunning, but after a whole lot of pictures in a circular 360 degree pattern one wants to learn and experience more. This is especially true after the double security, both pre-boarding and at Liberty Island itself.
Make sure to pre-book ($18) and it is essential to choose the pedestal ticket. This is where the visitor can experience more of the artistry and story behind this iconic monument. The views of Lower Manhattan are excellent and a stop at Ellis Island is certainly worth your time.
I think the National Park Service has included two important elements to the visitor experience, which would be lacking with only a circular stroll of Lady Liberty.
1) The informative and excellent exhibit located within the Pedestal
2) Connecting Ellis Island with your ticket
Lastly, here is the poem that truly summarizes the uniqueness and meaning of the Statue of Liberty.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
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