Great Moments in Going to Tops of Things: Statue of Liberty Crown to Reopen

The Statue of Liberty is one of those places real New Yorkers never go, but the reopening of its crown-level observation deck might be enough incentive to hop the ferry over to Liberty Island, tourist throngs be damned. As the AP points out, the crown has been closed to the public since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, but as of July 4, 2009, 30 visitors an hour will be allowed to ascend the 168-step spiral staircase to the gray iron observation deck, where spectacular views of New York Harbor extend for miles.

Like most monuments of its scale, the Statue of Liberty is much more impressive in person than in photos, and it's especially enchanting when approached by water, as Ellis Island-bound immigrants experienced it from 1892 to 1954. I visited when I was a kid, years before I lived here, and recall having lots of fun racing my sister up the stairs and looking out the porthole-like windows in the crown at the boats below. It's a somewhat more upscale experience these days, as renovations have added modern amenities and a fancier ferry operator runs the shuttle between Battery Park and the monument. Sure, it's a little hokey, but it's also a classic New York experience, so we might just have to go against type and pay it a visit this summer. Hope nobody sees us.

[Photo: AP]

· Statue of Liberty Crown to Reopen July 4 [AP]
· Going to Tops of Things Still Favored by Nation's Tourists [The Onion]
· Statue Coverage [Jaunted]

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