Lady Liberty Returns

The Marine Corps brass band’s rendition of “God Bless America” and “Amazing Grace“ resonated in the air. Just shortly after 8 a.m on the Fourth of July, the animated crowd stood at the base of the Statue of Liberty holding tiny American flags in their hands and green foam crowns on their sweaty heads. In the center of the gathering, all the attention was drawn to a giant, bright-red ribbon that was about to be cut by four oversized pairs of scissors.

“We are going to open up the crown to the people of America and to the people of the world,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said, marking the historic reopening of the Statue of Liberty.

Only a privileged group of enthusiastic visitors had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty’s famous and long-isolated crown, which was closed after the 9/11 attacks. They had won the battle of the online reservation system. Those who victoriously obtained the tickets paid $3 online to the national monument and then $12 more for the 15-minute ferry ride.

Visitors traveled from around the world to be a part of the historic moment. The first 30-person-group to ascend to the crown lined up to mount the 354 steps of the double-helix staircase, a Fourth of July event that was symbolically loaded with liberty and national pride. The remaining visitors gathered at the foot of Lady Liberty as they looked up at the 305-foot tall statue in awe and anticipated their turn to finally journey up to the top.

Yun Lan Yu, 56, one of the many faces to have shown up on the momentous day, stood in line with two of her granddaughters.

 “When is it going to be our turn grandma?” little nine-year-old Nancy asked impatiently.

With ecstatic momentum, the two kids jumped up and down as they endured the bureaucracy of tight security until they were finally let into Lady Liberty herself. At last, the began the climb.

“This was everything I imagined it to be,” Yu said in a mere whisper. “All the stories ever been told to me shows up right in front of my eyes right there and then. It’s like a miracle that is replaying. I’m witnessing what my great-grandmother saw when she got here.”

After nearly three years of being closed to the public, the base, pedestal and outdoor observation deck were reopened in August of 2004. But the Lady’s crown remained off-limits. Officials were concerned that the winding staircase was a fire hazard and would be difficult to evacuate in case of an emergency and that the claustrophobic climb frightened visitors.

The National Park Services noted on their Web site that visitors who had tried to climb the stairs to the crown often suffered from heat exhaustion, shortness of breathand panic attacks. However, according to federal officials, even after a $20 million effort to improve the hazardous conditions, the crown still could not be safely reopened to the public—until now. New handrails were installed to help aide those climbing the stairs and a maximum was established at 30 people per hour to journey up to the crown.

Sweat-streaked and a little out of breath, the visitors would finally reach the small room at the top of the Statue, with 25 windows overlooking the New York Harbor. There,visitors have the privilege to gaze out into the sea to get a birds-eye view of the world around them. 

“Remarkable,”said Yu describing the sweeping view from above, “Thinking back, [coming toAmerica] has got to be the best decision I ever made.”

Yu came toAmerica officially when she was 24-years-old in 1977, still under her mother’s wings. It’s been 15 years since she first applied for a travel Visa after taking a one-month long journey on a boat to Hong Kong from her home in Canton,China. There, she patiently waited for her Visa to be approved.

            â€œI wanted to create my own meaning to what America means—a change.”

           Yu’s great-grandfather was the idol of her generation and the one before her. He got approved for a Visa quickly due to the railroad job he had obtained in San Francisco in the early 1900s. After hearing countless tales about America, Yu knew she wanted to go. She finally convinced her mother to allow her to come toAmerica with her to start a new life.

             â€œEven though I was young, I knew what I wanted and where I wanted to be. Not there. I hated it. I always heard about liberty, the money and the opportunities available here in America and I believed them.” 

           At age 24, she began her voyage to America with seven of her family members accompanying her—her grandmother, parents, three sisters and two brothers.

           Yu finally got the long-awaited stamp on her Hong Kong passport and then flew to Japan. The next stop was Hawaii, then Vancouver and finally New York City.

           With an almost photographic memory, Yu described her early years in America. “The building on 167^th Street and Shakespeare Avenue, Apt 4F in theBronx,” she remembered clearly. It was a tenement building full of “angry and frustrated people who always asked for too much.” 

            â€œI remember crying because I was scared. I told my mom and we just left.” The family of eight moved to Jackson Heights, Queens and rented a two-room apartment.  There, four out of the five siblings moved on to find jobs as seamstresses, jobs they would work for more than 20 years.

           Now that the Statue of Liberty has completely reopened, the family rejoices once again for having left the “horrible conditions” of their home country behind. “We have no regrets, the Statue of Liberty reminds us of that,” Yu said. 

           â€œAmerica helped me be the person I wanted to be all along. I could have never done that if I stayed in China.”

For Yu, visiting the Statue of Liberty was a way to pass along an appreciation of America’s opportunities and promises to her granddaughters.

“Now they can experience what I have experience[d] and what my great-grandparents have experienced when they came here. The first thing they saw was the Statue of Liberty and it’s the only thing I have left of them in memory.”