Taking the Kids: To the Statue of Liberty
What a view! We're standing atop the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty -- about halfway up the 305-foot, 1-inch climb to the crown -- looking out at the New York City skyline.
Even the jaded high school boys I'm chaperoning can't help but be impressed. "You don't realize how big it really is until you're here," said Christopher Morales, 15.
She certainly is big -- her head is 17 feet, 3 inches-long; her right arm 42 feet long. In the museum, everyone poses for pictures in front of a cast of her giant foot.
"You've heard so much about it and seen so many pictures, but it's amazing to be here," said Ruben Guardado, 17.
I guess that's why, despite the blustery January weather, crowds of bundled-up tourists from around the world lined up to take the Statue Cruises (www.statuecruises.com) ferry to Liberty Island, good-naturedly taking off belts and watches for the security screenings. The second stop would be historic Ellis Island where between the late 19th and early 20th century some 12 million immigrants passed through on their way to a new life. The day is a bargain with tickets costing less than $20. (TIP: If you want access to the pedestal, as we did, either by stairs or elevator, or if you want to climb to the top of the crown, get tickets in advance, http://www.nps.gov/stli/planyourvisit/index.htm.)
You can't let winter weather stop you from sightseeing, especially when there is so much to see in a city like New York. You might even snare a deal with the city's NYC Sunday Night Stays program (http://www.nycgo.com/sundaynightstays/), which encourages you to spend Sunday night in New York when hotel rates are the cheapest, tickets are available on Broadway and lines are shorter at museums and attractions.
For example, winter rates at the Conrad New York (www.conradnewyork.com) luxury hotel start at just $209 for spacious suites overlooking the Hudson River in Battery Park with proximity to a movie theater and moderately priced restaurants. (Kids loved that they can close the sliding door and have a separate "room" and TV. The teens loved the soaring lobby with its modern art and couches ideal for warming up with a cup of hot chocolate after a day of sightseeing.)
We spent our first night three blocks from the Empire State Building at the affordable Wolcott Hotel (www.wolcott.com), a New York City landmark about to celebrate its 110th anniversary. (Rates start as low as $120 a night.) It was fun to step back in time in the lobby, though the rooms, of course, are totally modern.
In our winter weekend, we hit many of the Big Apple's top tourist attractions -- The American Museum of Natural History (www.amnh.org), the top of the Empire State Building (www.esbnyc.com) at night, the Intrepid Museum (www.intrepidmuseum.org), Times Square and a play. (The boys gave a thumbs-up to the off-Broadway "Illuminate" (www.illuminate.com) in which dancers wearing wireless lighting systems perform to techno music in the dark, their costumes fantastically lit up.)
(CityPASS, www.citypass.com, or New York PASS, www.newyorkpass.com/, are worth the investment, if you plan to visit many of the top attractions. Admission is discounted and you avoid the lines.)
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