I visited NYC in 2004 and The Statue of Liberty (or Liberty Enlightening the World, to give the correct title) was one of the things I really wanted to visit - other than that, I was happy to wander around the city!
Having read how busy the statue can get, we made our way to purchase tickets early in the morning. The ticket office is located in Castle Clinton (originally built to protect against the English) on the southern tip of Manhatten. There were a number of ticket options available :- Visit to the Island, Tour of the pedestal, Tour of the Museum etc. We opted for the full package which came to around $20 each (£10ish). It should be noted that there is no charge for visiting the island - the charge is for the ferry ride (which is the only way to get there!!).
Waiting for the ferry, we were entertained by street acrobats - well worth a couple of dollars of anybody's money and we then proceeded through security where we walked through metal detectors and bags were x-rayed. There was more security here than at the airport! Still, I'm sure if somebody wanted to blow up the statue, they would queue up, buy a ticket and take the ferry rather than just take a speedboat!! At least we felt safe!
Upon arrival at the island, you are greeted by people trying to sell you audio tours etc. Whilst annoying, they do not pressure you or hassle you once you have said no.
The island itself is full of greenery and the views to Manhatten are amazing. Unbelieveably, you can't see the Statue for the trees until you turn a corner and there she is - magnificent.
We entered the Statue via the obligatory gift shop and there were people trying to buy our tickets off us - either the Statue tickets had sold out or people hadn't realised they had to buy the package at the ticket office rather than just a ferry ticket. After a quick "No", we entered the gates and sat around talking to a Park Ranger until there were enough people to warrant a group (around 12-15 of us).
We were taken into the museum (in the pedestal of the statue) where we were shown the original torch from the statue and a full sized replica of the statue's face (chin to forehead = floor to ceiling) in the original brown copper - not yet turned green! As a comparison scale, I'm 5'10" and my shoulder was level with the middle of the nose! The Park Ranger's were extremely knowledgeable about the statue and made the tour very interesting pointing out many things about the statue I didn't know and hadn't even thought about. A number of the group had children with them and they were encouraged to take part in the tour and it really was good fun.
Then, we squeezed into an elevator and were taken to the top of the pedestal where the statue is almost within touching distance and the scale of Lady Liberty really becomes apparant - she's enormous! You can stand inside the pedestal and look up through a glass ceiling to see the inside structure of the statue and the 'Eiffel Tower-esque" inner structure (designed by Gustave Eiffel). You can then walk around and take photos inside and out as you are still in a section that only those with tickets can enter.
Back to the ferry after an extremely educational, fun and exciting visit - the ferry stops at Ellis Island on the return visit (but that's for another review!!) and then back to Manhatten.
Overall, this was the highlight of my visit to the States - the city of NYC is amazing but this really made my week. Quite why, I don't know, maybe it's because I have seen it on TV many times, maybe it's because of what the statue stands for. Who cares - it's an amazing place to go. I would return tomorrow if I could.
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