The climb to the top

The Big Apple is one of the many well known cities in the U.S.A. and this past weekend, my family, senior Shania Davis and I took a long weekend trip there. The city consisted of chaotic traffic, crowds, shopping and a variety of places to eat. While we were there we participated in many tourist- like activities.

Specifically, we walked up all 354 steps to the crown of the Statue of Liberty, went to Ground Zero, watched the Radio City Rockettes, toured the Radio City Music Hall, shopped around Times Square and many other things.

Though we did do a lot, my favorite was, hands down, the Statue of Liberty. Though it was chilly out and the ferry ride to the island was a tad rocky, as soon as the statue was in sight, I was captivated by the size and beauty. It’s common to see the Statue of Liberty in movies and pictures, but seeing it up close was a different story.

At first I was nervous to be there because with it being such a famous landmark, I was worried about the dangers of being there. It took away from the excitement of being at one of America’s most famous landmarks, but my fears quickly subsided because to get on the ferry, everyone must go through a very strict and precise security check. Also, once you get to the statue, you must go through security again which kept everyone safe.

Inside the building below the statue, there was a small museum that consisted of an informational timeline about the building of the statue and how she came to reside in the United States. In the museum was also the casts that they used to make her, prototypes and replicas of her foot and face to give a better representation of truly just how large the statue is.

After the museum, my family and I began our ascent to the top of the crown. The stairs to the pedestal were just your normal everyday stairs that led to lookout point in the pedestal that the statue stands on. The lookout wraps all the way around providing views of the whole area and city. The only downfall with that was that it was very crowded outside and the walkway was not very wide.

When we were finished out

side we finally got to start heading up to the very top. Walking in, we had no idea what to expect. When we got to the stairs that led to the crown we were all taken aback. We were met with a very steep spiral staircase with very little room. For as big as the statue looks on the outside, it seemed drastically smaller on the inside.

The stairs were so steep and narrow that the climb to the top was hard to enjoy because we were all so nervous about how high up we were and we did not want to fall on the stairs. Although it was scary, there were small platforms that we could step off on if we needed a break. It was also interesting to be able to see the statue from the inside. At one point, we could see the eyes and nose of the statue from the inside which is an extremely cool memory that not many people can say they have seen.

When we finally reached the top, we were all surprised at how small the room is at the top of the statue. There was barely any room for us to stand and take a picture. When you first look down through the crown you can see writing on the book that she’s holding and you walk about 5 to 6 feet forward and the stairs to head back down are there. From the top you can also see part of the torch, one of the spikes on her crown and also the city.

It was not as scary as I thought it would be because the view was incredible and it was also a special experience that not many people share.

Overall, the whole experience was one of my favorite memories and I would, without a doubt, recommend it to everyone going to New York. The tickets were not as expensive as I had expected because they were only $21.00 per person. The island also had gift shops and places to eat. I would definitely do this again now that I know what it entails.