To go to the top of the Statue of Liberty requires buying tickets months in advance.  We had ours for today — which turned out to be the only day on our New York trip that was raining.  Besides getting soaked, it gave us lots of photographs of the Manhattan skyline partially hidden in the clouds.

The climb to the crown is 188 steps above the pedestal, up a claustrophobic narrow circular staircase. One way up and one way down. Once you start, you are committed with no turning back till you reach the top.  Unfortunately, the view from the top is anti-climatic, with only tiny views of the bay through small plexiglass windows facing away from the city.  Glad we went, but not sure I’d recommend it to others…

An optional free stop back to Manhattan is at Ellis Island. The museum display there was exceptionally well done, and is a stop I’d recommend to all.  The tour ended with an emotional 30 minute documentary of the immigrants, much of it in their own words when interviewed in 1989.

One thing we miss in Ecuador is good Chinese food, so we returned to The Big Wong in Chinatown for one of the best Chinese meals I have had in years.  Because of the rain, we made an early night of it, giving me time to catch up on this blog… 🙂