New York City Liberty And Ellis Islands

Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island (212-363-3200; www.nps.gov/stli), In 1865, a group of French intellectuals began scheming about a 100th birthday present for the United States, celebrating liberty. Eduoard de Laboulaye was the driving force behind the operation and Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi and Gustave Eiffel (yes, that Gustave Eiffel) laid out the details. The statue was presented to the Us Ambassador to France on July 4, 1884, and subsequently disassembled and sent across the Atlantic in 220 crates. But there was a slight problem-no pedestal. Richard Morris Hunt's pedestal design required money, and there simply was not enough for its execution. Enter tycoon New York World publisher Joseph Pulitzer,who conducted a massive, nation-wide fundraising effort. In 1886, the statue was finally reassembled, dedicated, and adorned with Emma Lazarus' famous "The New Colossus."

You can purchase tickets to see this 151ft., 1in. copper wonder online or in person at Castle Clinton in Battery Park. If you want to enter the state, be sure to reserve your free tickets before you get on the ferry (usually about one week in advance), because you will be out of luck once you get to the island. If you want to go up to the crown, it will cost you $3 and you should plan way ahead-we're talking up to two months in advance during the high season. Even if you can't get into the monument, you can gaze at and take pictures with Lady Liberty from the ground, lounge in turn-of-the-century-inspired outdoor furniture, and take in the view of the Manhattan skyline. If you are content to admire the Lady from a distance, take the free Staten Island Ferry (www.siferry.com) which leave from Whitehall Terminal near the South Ferry Subway stop at frequent intervals.

Subway: 4, 5 to Bowling Green; R, W to Whitehall St.; 1, 9 to South Ferry. Buy ferry tickets online at www.statuecruises.com, by phone at 1-877-523-9849, or at the ticket kiosk at Castle Clinton at Battery Park. You must have tickets to enter the statue before arriving on Liberty Island. Tickets should be ordered at least a week in advance for statue entry and up to 2 months in advance for crown entry. Ferry passage $12, seniors $10, children $5. Audio tours $8. Additional fee for crown ticket $3. Ferries run from Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis Islands 8:30am-4:30pm. The last ferry leaves from Liberty Island at 6:15pm. Ferry times vary; check schedule on website for specific information; free ranger-led tours of Liberty Island every hr.; meet at the flagpole. Takes credit cards.
Ellis Island Museum, Ellis Island (www.ellisisland.org), The Ellis Island Museum operates within the main building of the immigration processing center that questioned, inspected, and approved for US entry 12 million immigrants from 1892 to 1954. If you are one of the more than 100 million Americans with ancestors who passed through Ellis Island, you can search for them at one of the computers at the American Family Immigration History Center. ($5 per 30min.) The first floor also holds informative exhibitions about immigration to the current United States from 1600 to the present. On the second floor, check out the enormous registry room that processed up to 5000 newcomers each day! The room has been restored to the way it appeared circa 1918-1924. The most poignant display may be the “Treasures from Home” exhibition on the third floor, showcasing clothing, instruments, religious articles, and other cherished items brought by immigrants to their new home. While on the island, you can also check Buy ferry tickets online at Ferry passage $12, seniors $10, children $5. Audio tours $8. Ferries run from Battery Park to Liberty and Ellis Islands 8:30am-4:30pm. Ellis Island Museum closes at 6pm, and the last ferry leaves from Ellis Island at 6:30pm. Ferry times vary; check schedule on website for specific information; free 45min. guided to Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.