I had been to New York City a few times in my life. Each was somewhat accidental: a business trip, a delivery of childhood possessions to children who had grown, and a trip to witness a career accomplishment (a film festival screening) of one of them. Each had a primary purpose, and there was inadequate time to explore the vast experiences that New York City offers. I was not able to be a sightseeing tourist.
This occasion was different. There was no preset agenda or itinerary; we were taking the opportunity to spend a few days with Poldi’s son Shal’s family living in Brooklyn before beginning our travels to Europe. Poldi asked me if there was anything I’d like to do while we were visiting.
Well, I was always curious about the structure and construction of the world’s tallest sculpture (for a hundred years), the Statue of Liberty. Could I climb the spiral staircase inside?
Despite having lived in New York since attending film school twenty years ago, Shal had never visited the famous landmark. This sounded like a great outing to him. Since there were tourist ferries every twenty minutes to it, we could just show up at the dock and tag along.
It turns out that it is not as simple as catching a subway train, and we had to pre-register for a position on the ferry. Security checks were involved before boarding. And if you wanted to go on the tour of its interior, sign up a month ahead. I would not get in this trip (probably for the better, based on the claustrophobia I might suffer).
It was a wonderful experience. Liberty Island is as beautiful as the sculpture it hosts. I have pictures of it in this album of our New York City segment of this trip.
I have always wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty, and like you, never found the time. I also liked your photos of your travels to Sisaly and Crete.