Update
Statue of Liberty crown reopens for Fourth of July
Visitors say the arduous climb to the top, closed since the Sept. 11
attacks, is worth it. Officials say the reopening represents a new
American era.
By Tina Susman
8:47 AM PDT, July 4, 2009
Reporting from New York ? For the first time since the terrorist attacks
of Sept. 11, 2001, Americans on Saturday were allowed to clamber up the
steep steps to enter the Statue of Liberty’s crown, a Fourth of July
event that promoters said was a sign of the United States’ efforts to
overcome fears of the past and celebrate a new American era.
The first ferry bringing people to Liberty Island purred up the New York
Harbor at 7 a.m., as the early-morning sun shone on the statue’s golden
torch, more than 300 feet above the sparkling water.
In a white tent established for a special swearing-in ceremony for new
citizens, seven servicemen from countries ranging from Bangladesh to
Guyana took the oath, the view of Manhattan in the background.
“It’s a proud day today because of the opening of the doors of an
American icon,” said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, adding that the new
citizens’ diversity illustrated the potpourri of humanity that makes the
U.S. unique.
Salazar announced the crown’s reopening in May, saying it was a “special
gift” to Americans.
The move was seen as part of President Obama’s attempts to distance the
administration from the policies of his predecessor that critics said
had hardened America’s image since Sept. 11. The Bush administration
contended that the attacks and the deaths of hundreds of people in the
collapsing World Trade Center towers underscored the potential dangers
to crown visitors in the event of another attack or other emergency.
Reaching the crown involves climbing a narrow double helix staircase,
with no option of turning back because of the inevitable lines of people
snaking their way up. There are 146 steps in the crown climb, said
Darren Boch, a National Park Service spokesman. The total steps from the
statue’s base, which was reopened on 2004, to the crown number 354.
That did not deter the visitors who had snapped up tickets online as
soon as they became available on June 13. Wearing green Styrofoam crowns
on their heads, the men, women and children stood in two rows on the
steps at the statue’s pedestal while local, state and national officials
jointly held on to a pair of oversize scissors and cut a red ribbon.
“This signals in so many ways a new beginning,” Salazar said.
Then the climb began. About 50 minutes later, the first group to the top
began trickling out the gates back at the bottom, most with sweat
pouring from their green crowns.
“It’s good to be able to get in there, to be able to touch it, to feel
it,” said Marc Anbros of Merrick, N.Y., who ascended the stairs with his
8-year-old daughter, Aleyna. “It was something I did when I was a kid.
Hopefully it’s something she’ll do with her kids.”
Anbros and others described an arduous, claustrophobia-inducing trek,
where the heat from the sun blazing through the crown’s small windows
turned the cramped quarters into a virtual sauna.
The only delay occurred when Aaron Weisinger of Danville, Calif., got
down on one knee, produced a huge diamond ring and proposed to Erica
Breder, his girlfriend of three years. She said yes.
Weisinger said the elaborate proposal had been in the works since news
of the crown’s reopening was announced in May.
“It took a lot of phone calls,” said Weisinger, who even wrote to Obama
in a frantic search to guarantee tickets for the crown.
Eventually, he got four tickets from someone who heard of his quest. Two
tickets were given to friends, who slowed the line of visitors today to
give room to Weisinger to kneel down.
Unlike in the past, only 10 people will be permitted into the crown.
Visitors will pass through rigid security checks akin to boarding a
flight. Visitors said it was worth it.
“Symbolically, this is so remarkable in terms of our psyche. It’s just
great,” said Jennifer Stewart of New York, who makes a living appearing
as Miss Liberty in a green flowing gown, green skin and even a green
handbag carrying green-tinged cosmetic, glasses and other items.
Stewart, whose career was launched in 1986 when she won the national
Statue of Liberty centennial look-alike contest, said the freedom to
“perceive the world through Miss Liberty’s crown” represented the sense
of inclusiveness that America is supposed to represent.
tina.susman@latimes.com
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