State of Liberty Open for Business Again, and Statue Cruises

The Statue of Liberty re-opened on July 4th and there are still the cruise boats down at the battery..

The disruption because of Sandy has also disrupted the Yelp Reviews for the trip..

To show you what has happened, I refer you to the followinh

With help from DOT, Liberty Island reopens for 4th Of July

Posted by Anthony Foxx

FHWA emergency relief funds enable first visitors to Statue Of Liberty since Sandy

I'm happy to write that--eight months after being shut down by Hurricane Sandy--the Statue of Liberty reopened to visitors on the 4th of July.
Last October, the superstorm destroyed Liberty Island's passenger docks, making it impossible to ferry visitors to the island. In February, our Federal Highway Administration provided funding to the National Park Service for repair of the roads, bridges, ferry docks and pedestrian walkways damaged by the storm.

After crews worked tirelessly to complete the docks in time, the island once again welcomed thousands of enthusiastic visitors on the 4^th, eager to celebrate Independence Day.
Financial support for this work came from the FHWA's Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads (ERFO) program, which provides funding to federal agencies like the National Park Service to repair federal roads and other facilities damaged by natural disaster or catastrophic events. Support for the Liberty Island work was part of $28 million for repairs at five National Parks: the Gateway National Recreation Area, the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Fire Island National Seashore, Governors Island National Monument, and Sagamore Hills National Historic Site. FHWA also provided the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with funds to restore access to the Edwin B. Forsyth National Wildlife Refuge.

As FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez said, "We want to help make sure popular parks and tourist destinations in New York and New Jersey are as accessible as possible and open for business."
Both Administrator Mendez and Deputy Transportation Secretary John Porcari backed up those words with visits to Liberty Island and tours of the work-in-progress.

VISITING LIBERTY ISLAND AND CRUISES

 
 If you are like a lot of people, you will come downtown on the subway ( Bowling Green Station above)....and then see signs to the Cruise boats

And then if you continue in the mob scene, you will see one of the boats through the trees...

And on your way to the dock see that man who dresses up as a "living statue of Liberty "--he is in Central Park sometimes, too

And off in the haze you will eventually see the Statue way off in the distance...

 And then find your way to the boats...

And go to the loading area...

Since I did not go on any of the boats, this is where I get a little confused...I have been trying to find a website that tells just what it costs and what you get...I can just offer this for the moment...
website of one boat cruise line

http://www.statuecruises.com/ 


It seems like Yelp has not caught up with the re-opening of Liberty Island...

Let me see if Wikipedia can be of any help here

Location and visiting

Tourists aboard a Circle Line ferry arriving at Liberty Island, June 1973

The statue is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island, south of Ellis Island. Both islands were ceded by New York to the federal government in 1800.^[149] As agreed in an 1834 compact between New York and New Jersey that set the state border at the bay's midpoint, the original islands remain New York territory despite their location on the New Jersey side of the state line. Land created by reclamation at Ellis is New Jersey territory.^[150]

No charge is made for entrance to Statue of Liberty National Monument, but there is a cost for the ferry service that all visitors must use, as private boats may not dock at the island. A concession was granted in 2007 to Statue Cruises to operate the transportation and ticketing facilities, replacing Circle Line, which had operated the service since 1953.^[151] The ferries, which depart from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, also stop at Ellis Island when it is open to the public, making a combined trip possible.^[152] All ferry riders are subject to security screening, similar to airport procedures, prior to boarding.^[153] Visitors intending to enter the statue's base and pedestal must obtain a complimentary museum/pedestal ticket along with their ferry ticket.^[154] Those wishing to climb the staircase within the statue to the crown purchase a special ticket, which may be reserved up to a year in advance. A total of 240 people per day are permitted to ascend: ten per group, three groups per hour. Climbers may bring only medication and cameras—lockers are provided for other items—and must undergo a second security screening.^[155]