Never will I forget the time I was on board the Amtrak Train all the way to New York City from Massachusetts. I was so eager to see this famous city that I have known for a long time as one of the most prominent cities in the world. As we were approaching the Penn Station, I still recall the moment that I uttered the words, "New York here I come!
My eyes were glued to the window the minute I saw this wonderful city from the train, it suddenly brought a smile to my face, seeing New York for the very first time. I couldn't believe at first that I'm already in the "Big Apple". I was busy staring at the surroundings. I could not help but chuckle as I couldn't control the excitement within me. I lost myself in it as we come to the station.
The train stopped at the Penn Station, I clearly remember, when I was still on the train, from the window I was literally looking for the Statue of Liberty, hoping to see her. All along I thought the Liberty is situated in the middle of the city of New York, surrounded by the high-rise buildings, hence, as soon as I got off the train that was the first thing I looked for, I was wondering where the Statue of Liberty located? She must be here somewhere, I said, I could probably catch a glimpse of her from here because based on what I have seen on Tv the Statue of Liberty is huge.
I know that was funny! I must admit my ignorance, just because it was my first time in New York and all I know was that the Statue of Liberty is the number one landmark of this state. However, little did I know that the Statue of Liberty is in fact situated a little far away from the city of Manhattan, it's actually on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. You still need to take the ferry boat in order for you to get there. But I had no idea that time, based on the photos I have seen many times that the Lady Liberty and the high-rise buildings in Manhattan seemed so close together. But not in real life though! Now I know!
Trivia:
New York City comprises 5 boroughs sitting where the Hudson River meets the Atlantic Ocean. At its core is Manhattan, a densely populated borough that’s among the world’s major commercial, financial and cultural centers. Its iconic sites include skyscrapers such as the Empire State Building and sprawling Central Park. Broadway theater is staged in neon-lit Times Square.
I still recall the first time I went to Statue of Liberty, that was the year 2007 when one of my co-workers at the airport invited me to visit the giant statue. I was so delighted and thrilled as soon as I heard that, considering that I've been dreaming and hoping to see the Lady Liberty in person ever since I stepped off the train from the station. Finally, the right time has come! I was looking forward to the weekend and I couldn't hide my excitement.
Saturday morning, I woke up early to get ready for an exciting adventure, I was anxiously waiting for the bus to meet up with my co-worker in the subway station. We took the subway all the way to Staten Island Ferry Whitehall Terminal.
We bought the tickets for the Statue of Liberty, we chose the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise, you can also choose the Statue Cruises Experience, each of the packages feature an authorized ticket to the Statue Cruises Experience: round-trip boat tour in New York Harbor to both Liberty & Ellis Island, a Statue of Liberty Ticket and admission to the Ellis Island National Immigration Museum.
Or New York Water Taxi, they offer an all-day access pass provides unlimited Hop On, Hop Off privileges to 4 Manhattan and Brooklyn locations or the Statue of Liberty express offers one of the fastest ways to see Lady Liberty up close, less than an hour from the South Street Seaport pier to the base of the statue and back.
Just so you know, there is always a long queue at the ticketing area, for there are thousands of tourists and visitors wanting to visit the legendary Statue of Liberty every day, thus, it's better to buy the ticket online ahead of time if you want to avoid the long queue. Moreover, you also need to pass through the security before you hop on the boat, so expect for another queue at the pier.
I was standing on the Harborside looking in the direction of the monument and from afar I could already see the copper statue standing tall in the middle of the Liberty Island and yet it looked so small from a far away distance. That was the very first time I saw her and I simply couldn't control my eagerness to see her up close. I took a lot of photos of her and asked my friend to take photos of me with the statue as my background, never mind if it's still too far away from me.
We finally boarded the ferry boat and I just couldn't take my eyes off her, Lady Liberty is just so breathtakingly beautiful! I literally stared at her in awe. The more I got goosebumps when the cruise line started to play a music, the music that I used to hear when I was younger, the song that is sung by Frank Sinatra, the timeless "New York, New York". I was teary-eyed while listening to that lovely music and while staring at the Statue of Liberty at the same time, with the soft gentle wind blowing on my face. I was speechless, however, I remember mumbling the words " Nice to meet you Lady Liberty!"
After a few minutes, we arrived at the location and I excitedly have gotten off the boat. The entrance is at the back of the statue, hence, from there you could only see the back of Liberty. The monument stands on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, but the location of the Statue of Liberty has not always been so clear. It is closer to New Jersey than New York and, in fact, resides in New Jersey’s waters. Where is the Statue of Liberty located? Click here!
Remember, there is another tight security before you can climb up the statue. During the time of our visit there the staircase to the Liberty's crown was closed, but that was never a problem with me, because being claustrophobic, I'm not sure if I can make it to the top of the crown anyway, it is too high for me, and there is no elevator nor escalator access, only metal spiral staircase.
But I heard it's open now. There are 377 steps from the main lobby to the crown platform. There is an elevator inside the Pedestal. However, there is no elevator access from the top of the pedestal to the crown platform. The National Park Service Rangers will be on site at all times to assist visitors. Those who feel uncomfortable proceeding up the crown staircase have the option of stopping at the top of the Statue of Liberty's pedestal. But the pedestal wasn't that bad nonetheless!
For those who want to visit the Liberty's crown, the crown tickets are available every day and must be purchased in advance of your travel to the island. Statue Cruises is the only official source for crown reservations and they are the exclusive provider of ferry transportation to the islands. If you want to know more about visiting the crown you can visit this link!
The view from the pedestal was really amazing! Overlooking Manhattan and I had this chance to take a glimpse of the spectacular skyscrapers from the Manhattan skyline.
Additionally, they also have a small museum inside the monument. The Museum of the Statue of Liberty is on the second stage of the pedestal where you can take some photos with the replicas and some other miniatures and learn more about the history of the Statue of Liberty.
Digital cameras are allowed inside the statue, however, the professional video cameras are strictly prohibited, but you can leave your belongings in the locker room just in case you brought some items that are not allowed inside.
Outside the area, there is a souvenir shop where you can buy some memorabilia and collectibles such as the miniatures, t-shirts or anything related to the Statue of Liberty and some more items with the images of New York City.
The experience I had in the Statue of Liberty was unforgettable! I will never get tired of going back to that place over and over again. After a few hours of exploring the monument, we headed back to Manhattan to catch the subway back to my place. But first, we stopped by at the World Trade Center Path Station and took some photos in ground zero.
I have a story to tell about WTC. When I was still working in a Law Firm I used to pass by this place a few times, I happened to see the World Trade Center site when my boss asked me to deliver the important documents to his clients. I wasn't really familiar with that location, I just kept walking not knowing that I was already walking towards the direction of the World Trade Center Path Station.
I was surprised! I was like, oh wow! so this is the famous World Trade Center! I am very familiar with that name, the whole world knows about what happened in World Trade Center site 17 years ago, the building complex that was destroyed on September 11, 2001. Naturally, the first thing that came to my mind was the 9/11's most tragic terrorist attack that struck the buildings. That was one of the worst terrorist attacks in history!
I had the feeling of sadness for a moment, as I didn't get to see the Twin Towers that once stood on that ground. I suddenly had this weird feeling, that everything I watched on TV 17 years ago all came back fresh in my mind. I started to look up and envision how the tall Twin Towers collapsed and fell down flat onto the ground. I could only imagine how thousands of people panicked, running scared towards different directions, crying, screaming, thousands of casualties all over the place and people who were severely injured on that miserable day. I paused for a moment to look at the whole place and literally, everything came back to me. How could I forget that catastrophic event?
So, on that same day after successfully accomplishing my task, I had to catch a subway train going back to the office, I found out that the subway station is right under the Twin Towers ground. I went directly to that station and as I was getting closer, again, I pictured in my mind all the bodies of casualties scattered all over the place, on the exact area where I was walking. And on my way down the stairs, I saw these random photos of the unfortunate people who died from this devastating terror attack, as well as the wreckage posted on the wall towards the entrance. That was so painful to look at!
I had this inexplicable eerie experience the moment I went down the subway station, as soon as I entered the basement I got frightened when I saw these creepy big eyes painted on the ceramic tiles on the wall, in every corner of this particular station, to be honest with you that was scary, I actually had goosebumps considering that I just looked at the photos of the casualties outside. All the more, it was pretty dark and cold inside, and unfortunately, there were like very few people passing by, sometimes I was alone.
There was a time that I wanted to go back up the street, but I tried not to because that's the only subway station in my location. So, I was pretending to be brave. Patiently waiting for the subway train, but for some reason, the train was so slow! Then I was hoping for more people to come down the station so I won't be all alone inside. But my imagination was just getting so intense that moment, I felt like the people I saw in the pictures were all there looking at me, I tried not to look at those creepy eyes on the wall. Why did they install those scary eyes on the wall in the first place?
Thankfully, after like 15 minutes of waiting, the train finally arrived, and I was like "Oh thank you, Lord!". I quickly hop on the train and left that place. That was indeed a bone-chilling experience!
Those above photos were taken on my 2nd trip in the subway together with my friend this time, and for some reason, I still felt the same hair-raising feeling in that station. But nevertheless, we all know that at the present time there is a new transit hub at the rebuilt World Trade Center site.
Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, the “Oculus” is a transportation hub, plaza and shopping mall adjacent to the memorial site for the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. The hub has been called a giant boondoggle. Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava said he designed the Oculus to resemble a winged dove.