That is a whole lota copper

Who knew . . . the windows on the crown look a lot bigger from the ground than from the inside. (seems like it would be the opposite)

Months have passed since this post and yesterday the big day finally came to climb to the top and peak out on the city from the crown of the Statue of Liberty.

Interesting Facts:

• How many stairs? 354 (makes the 73 steps to my apartment seem like a walk in the park)
• This lady might be huge but she isn't thick. Put two pennys together and you get a sense for the thickness of the copper sheets that make her who she is.
• This lady lost a tip of her nose and one of her curls but other than that she has stood the test of time. Now that is the sign of a true New Yorker.
• This lady is green not because of paint but because of patina. It's a coating that forms on copper as it oxidizes and actually improves and strengthens the metal.
• This lady was a gift from the French but not really. I always thoughnot as a sign of peace and friendship but more to send a message back to France that the French people wanted freedom and liberty and decomcracy similar to the US.

Not sure what this picture was all about but now we know what I look like if I were sea sick and someone told a bad joke at the same time.

If you have an odd obsession with spiral stair cases then you would have been in hog heaven.

It was a tight turn all the way up and not advisable for anyone who gets dizzy easily, has wider hips than they would like to admit or is afraid of heights.

I on the other hand would have been in hog heaven if the stairs suddenly turned into a slide and I could have slid down.

Looking out from the crown.

The obligatory, "I was here" shot.

See the windows aren't as large as the appear from the ground. Am I crazy or do you agree?

And since we were so close I stopped in at Ellis Island and took the twitter tour; a quick walk around with shorts stops to read a few things. Some day when I have more time I would like to go back but let's be honest that will likely not happen in the near future.

And lastly, I learned something else about myself on this trip. I hate birds. there I said it. I hate birds. I don't like them near me, I don't like them to fly over me, I don't like to feed them, I do not like when the stand there and stare at me. That doesn't make me a cold hearted animal hater it just means I am not going to feed them even if it is a banana peel.

And this includes seagulls, lake ducks, pigeons or any type of bird for that patter. I am happy to comply with this sign. Okay, now I feel better about it.

*5th floor walk up means I live on the 5th floor and there is not, nor was, nor will ever be an elevator. That is right I walk down and up 5 flights of stairs at least once a day, sometimes with groceries, work bags, suitcases, etc. Fun! I know.

**a story for another time probably never to be shared on this blog to protect the innocent. you know who you are and you'll never know that you are my hero but that day you were the wind beneath my wings. Thank you, you saved the day.