New York Re-opens Statue of Liberty Crown
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Make your next vacation a "crowing" moment. The Statue of Liberty closed after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Since that time the lower portion of the Statue of Liberty has re-opened, but the crown remained closed. Officials have announced that the 4th of July of this year will mark the re-opening of the crown.There will be a few changes to help with safety concerns. Then number of visitors will be limited to just 10 at a time and they will be accompanied by a park ranger. Some things will not have changed. Visitors will still have to climb the double-helix spiral staircase to get to the crown. That's a total of 168 steps up - in case you want to count along the way.
The view from the crown gives unique look at New York Harbor and is just across the harbor from where the Twin Towers once stood. Concerns for the safety of visitors forced the closure of the crown. The small spiral staircase is the only way in and the only way out. Officials were concerned about the ability to safely evacuate visitors.
The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from France in 1886. It became a National Monument in 1924. The stature underwent renovations in before July 4, 1986 and it is scheduled for more renovations (mainly to focus on improving safety). The crown will only be opened for two years before being closed by Park Officials again to upgrade safety and security.
Summer is the peak travel time for visitors to the Statue of Liberty so crowds are expected to be big for the re-opening of the crown. The limit of visitors is also likely to add to the wait time. No matter how long it takes, seeing the view across the New York Harbor will be well worth the time.
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