What would a trip to New York be without a visit to The Great Lady. Did you know that you can hop on the Staten Island Ferry to see her? No charge either.
The New Colossus is a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus. She wrote the poem in 1883 to raise money for the pedestal that The Statue of Liberty sits on. The sonnet was part of an auction of art and literary works held to raise money for the pedestal's construction. Emma was involved in helping Jewish refugees to New York and was convinced to take part in the auction, by another writer who told her that the Statue would give great hope to those immigrating to the US.
The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Emma Lazarus - November 2, 1883
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore! I wonder how that sonnet would be taken today if it were entered into an auction. We discovered that a few of our ancestors had travelled via Ellis Island recently when doing Ancestry. So I've been even more interested in visiting New York.
If you want to visit the Statue of Liberty then you'll need to get a ferry there. Here's a link to find out more: click here for the National Park Service
You can depart from and return to different locations which is handy. There are two locations, New Jersey - Liberty State Park - lots of car parks here. Or you can hop on at Battery Park New York.
If you're like us and want to us Public Transport we'd use Battery Park. We tried driving in the US once, and never again. A certain husband who shall remain nameless, drove us up the off ramp of a highway. It was more than a bit terrifying and there was a certain amount of screaming in the car. But that's another story for when we do a house sit in LA.
And did we visit The Statue of Liberty when we were in Paris? No we didn't, so much we missed there. Ah well another house sit.
