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Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is arguably one of the most iconic images of the United States, featured in movies, TV shows, cartoons and so much more. The Statue garners a huge amount of visitors each year when the island is open, which can make the Statue of Liberty parking situation even more complex. The problem is that it is only accessible by boat, so it makes sense to book Statue of Liberty parking ahead of time, rather than risk not being present on one of the ferry rides to the statue.
Despite the patriotism that the Statue evokes, its history is much more complex than it appears, all the way up to the statue’s genesis and reception by the US. The French sculptor who designed the Statue, Frederic Bartholdi, claimed to have been inspired by an idea by his friend Edouard Rene de Laboulaye. The suggestion proposed that if the US built a monument to its independence, France should be involved. Bartholdi took the idea and ran with it, announcing the project in September 1875, naming the project “Liberty Enlightening the World.” After some fundraising in France, a few sections of the statue were complete, allowing the arm holding the torch to be present at the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. The plan was for the base to be built in the US and the statue built in France before disassembling it, shipping the parts by boat to New York City, and then reassembling it on what was then known as Bedloe’s Island, now Liberty Island.
The biggest enemy faced by the statue was the issue of funding such a colossus, as the pedestal was to be paid for by the Americans and the statue itself by the French. The latter group had no problem procuring funds, copper and other materials, but the US delegation ran into trouble. The US Congress would not appropriate funds for the project, and groups from other cities would only contribute if the colossus was moved from New York. People on the project remained steadfast, with poet Emma Lazarus writing her famous sonnet “The New Colossus,” which eventually was inscribed on one of the statue’s plaques. The process got back on track once newspaper publisher Joseph Pulitzer began a pledge drive to fund the base, which was soon completed. The statue itself came to New York on a ship named the Isere, and soon after, one could see the Statue of Liberty standing upon the pedestal. Over time, the colossus became an iconic image of America, often being one of the first things immigrants saw before passing through Ellis Island. Time has passed and repairs have been made to the copper goddess to keep her structurally sound, but to this day she is still enlightening the world.
ParkWhiz makes it easy to find Statue of Liberty parking; select the date and time that you want to find parking for the Statue of Liberty, print out your ParkWhiz Statue of Liberty parking pass (or use your mobile pass) and enjoy your visit to Liberty Island!
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