Ninety seconds on the Statue of Liberty
Your ticket time only lets you join the security queue, so book the earliest slot of the day and reach the dock half an hour before it.
Two screenings stand between you and the inside of the statue: one at the dock before boarding, and a second on the island for pedestal and crown holders. Crown tickets lead on up a double-helix staircase to twenty-five windows over the harbour, and if the climb feels wrong, rangers let you stop at the top of the pedestal. General admission stays outside on a fourteen-acre island, where eight wayside panels cover the fort underneath, the torch and why the copper turned green. Just past the Visitor Information Center, the Statue of Liberty Museum runs a short film and three galleries and has a rooftop deck over the harbour. If you are short of time, stay aboard when the boat calls at Ellis Island. Do not step off at your starting dock until you are finished, because the ticket will not let you back on.
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