The Statue of Liberty

As with all these escapades, I start my journey with Google.

The Statue of Liberty is a sculpture on Liberty Island in the New York Harbor. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886, having been gifted to the United States by France as a symbol of freedom and democracy. It shows a robed female figure (representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom) bearing a torch in her right hand and a tablet in her left hand inscribed with the date of the American Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). At her feet lies a broken chain. The statue was designated as a National Monument in 1924.

From the Wikimedia Commons. Retouched.

According to the official National Park Service’s website for The Statue of Liberty, 

The French ship "Isere" transported the Statue of Liberty's 300 copper pieces packed in 214 crates to America. Although the ship nearly sank in rough seas, it arrived in New York on June 17, 1885. The Statue's parts remained unassembled for nearly a year until the pedestal was completed in 1886.

Another interesting thing I learned from the official website was that the original torch was replaced in 1984 by a new copper torch covered in 24 carat gold leaf.

Photo credit: francehousehunt

I was rather impressed by the detail Google’s satellite captured in photographing the statue from space.

Bing Maps had a really cool “Bird’s Eye” view of the statue that let me pan around and see it from different angles.

Google Maps offered a “Street View” that incorporated photographs people have taken at and around the statue, allowing you to switch between several perspectives from different angles and elevation levels.

The best resource I found for information on the Statue of Liberty was its official website. The National Park Service has done a great job putting together resources for you to learn about the statue and plan your trip there. It even has tools for teachers and children.

As always, Fotopedia obliged by serving up some beautiful photographs of the Statue of Liberty.

Almost 2 years ago on a cold December morning, I was in New York City with my sister. We had wanted to go see the Statue of Liberty. Unfortunately, when we got to Battery Park to buy our tickets, we found that the line to get them was tremendously long. The wind was strong and the temperature was freezing, so we sadly decided to not wait in line to go to Liberty Island and instead just admired it from our shore.

The Statue of Liberty is a symbol of one of America’s great values: freedom. It is an American value I’ve come to love and hold dear to me. Despite having seen it with my own eyes (albeit from afar), I want to visit it again. This time up close and actually on Liberty Island.