Icon of freedom of the new world - Statue of Liberty 307; The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright 1496
What and Why
The Statue of Liberty or formally 'Liberty Enlightening the World', is the icon of the free world, full stop. The copper statue of Libertas (Latin for liberty), was a gift from France to America in 1886 CE. The statue has seen become literally the signature of America.
Why Libertas? In early American history, two female figures were frequently used as cultural symbols of the nation. One of these symbols, the personified Columbia, was seen as an embodiment of America. The other significant female icon in American culture was a representation of Libertas widely worshipped in ancient Rome (Latin: Roma), especially amongst emancipated slaves. A Libertas figure adorned most American coins of the time and hence this icon is chosen.
During the earlier days of slavery in the 1800s CE, New York was a major port of immigrants from abroad and often the sight of the statue represents a symbolism of freedom.
Toponymy
New York was named in honour of the Duke of York in England, who would later become King James II (né James Stuart), in mid-17th century CE. The word ‘york (Old Norse: jórvik)’ is derived from the Brittonic name ‘eburākon’, a combination of eburos 'yew-tree' and a suffix of belonging -āko(n), meaning ‘a place of yew trees’.
See
Statue of Liberty
The statue is situated on Liberty Island, which is accessible by ferry only from New York or Jersey City. To be frank the best view is actually not on the island itself, as you would be simply too close for any full-size photography. The best view is actually on the ferry at a distance, but literally all tourists would fall into this tourist trap. We came from Jersey City, and we return via Manhattan; and judging from the crowd size and queue control, Jersey City is a way better choice.
The island is actually tiny, and you can walk around the island in ten minutes. The island houses the usual small cafeteria and offices, plus a main flag plaza. The base itself is a museum explaining the construction and history of the statue, which deserves a visit. When you purchase the ticket, you can either choose just the ferry which grants you access only to the base, or to the middle pedestal or to the crown and to protect the monument, you have to book the limited number of tickets at least one month in advance. Clearly in spite of all the advices, everyone would try to access to the very congested crown.
The inscription on the tabular reads "JULY IV MDCCLXXVI" (July 4, 1776) which is the date of the Declaration of Independence. A broken shackle and chain lay at her feet as she walks forward, commemorating the then national abolition of slavery. By the way while everyone knows that the statue is a donation by the French, the stone base is actually made by the Americans themselves.
The crown is an extremely small area, literally the size of a home kitchen and you can view Manhattan from the crown after climbing a very narrow tube of circular staircase. Remember you just have to follow the queue, as the crown can accommodate only one file, and you are pushed by literally an endless chain of people behind you and so you have perhaps ten seconds to 'enjoy' the privilege of being on the crown. During the day of our climb, the windows were not allowed to be opened for some reason and we literally only saw smog.
Inside the crown.
The statue has more of an iconic or symbolic status rather than history as it is not really old, but it encapsulates pretty much all the spirit of American freedom. It also demonstrates the American ideal to proliferate the notion of freedom to the seven continents and seven seas, indicated by the seven rays of lights from its crown.
As a result, the statue has become the usual 'first point of destruction' in movies, either by natural disasters or aliens, and it has been 'destroyed' countless of time, to symbolise the end of the free world, like The Day After Tomorrow or Independence Day.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
New York welcomes the latest entry to the UNESCO WHS in the form of honouring the works of the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He is perhaps the fifth architect or artist that have specific works being honoured, after Victor Horta of Belgium (Dutch: België), Antoni Gaudí i Cornet of Spain (Spanish: España), Le Corbusier (né Charles-Édouard Jeanneret) of France and Luigi Vanvitelli of Italy (Italian: Italia). While there are a number of works distributed around the world, the marquee work is the Solomon R Guggenheim Museum, or simply the Guggenheim along the 5th Avenue. This is also a WHS which I blogged that I visited before it became a WHS: my first is Macao (Chinese: 澳門, Aomen) naturally.
As in other Wright's works, the building features minimalist architecture with a focus on simple but exaggerated geometric curves. Wright's design of this building looks like a huge seashell or a modern plastic coffee mug, though some New Yorkers criticised it as looking like a giant toilet bowl. The interior is connected by a continuous ramp, and demonstrates Wright's notion of spaces flowing freely one into another, both inside and outside the building, known as organic architecture. For trivia purpose, the Guggenheim's surface was made out of concrete to reduce the cost, inferior to the red stone finish that Wright had originally designed. Also the main gallery skylight was covered and compromised Wright's articulated lighting effects in the original construction, This was only restored in 1992 CE when the skylight was re-constructed according to its original design.
Times Square
Of course a trip to New York cannot be about WHS without experiencing the city of glamour itself. Honestly if I call Manhattan the centre of the Universe, it could be disputed, but it might not be a far exaggeration, after all Wall Street does command the world's economy. The centre of Manhattan is probably Times Square itself. I do not need to elaborate as there are tonnes of travel guide and this is not this blog's intention.
Other sites like Central Park, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Centre, Wall Street, Broadway, United Nations Headquarters and perhaps recently Trump Tower also shows what fantasies New York has to offer. After all this is one of the world's two alpha++ cities, the other being London, as blogged in London - East and London - West.
Buy and Do
Talk show
One of the entertainments that I always do when I am in New York is to attend a live-comedy show, all of these are free and tickets can be obtained online easily through the official website. However one thing one must notice: the fact that you carry a ticket does not guarantee your entry. My recent favourite is Trevor Noah which I spent two days queuing for the show, and it did not disappoint at all. Really love it and definitely will redo again!
Eat and Drink
New York prime rib
New York prime rib is my all-time favourite American food as I prefer the slow-cooked (French: sous vide) succulence and tenderness of American rib steak over charbroiled steaks, and of course everything American is huge! We were invited to a wonderful dinner by my friends at a steak institution Keens Steakhouse. Wonderful.
Food trucks
There are loads of food trucks around New York especially in the Central Park area, serving from snacks to a full meal. Good to give a try, but stay healthy. Apparently it is considered another icon of New York!
Stay
Taking advantage of my sister's benefit, I stayed in the Hyatt Regency across the harbour at Jersey City. Very good choice, just a five minute metro ride away from the hustle and bustle of New York, but everything is a fraction cheaper.
Getting There and Around
New York is the centre of the universe, you can get to anywhere easily, as long as you have money. New York is served by at least three international airports: John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport of Jersey. We came from Newark Liberty. However since it belongs to another state, it does not provide shuttle or metro access into New York though.
Technically entrance to the Statue of Liberty is free, but you need to get the ticket to take the ferry to the island which is USD $12. And to climb up the crown, you really need to book early. New York clearly deserves a week to explore.
UNESCO Inscriptions
Made in Paris by the French sculptor Bartholdi, in collaboration with Gustave Eiffel (who was responsible for the steel framework), this towering monument to liberty was a gift from France on the centenary of American independence. Inaugurated in 1886, the sculpture stands at the entrance to New York Harbour and has welcomed millions of immigrants to the United States ever since.
The property consists of eight buildings in the United States designed by the architect during the first half of the 20th century. These include Fallingwater (Mill Run, Pennsylvania), the Herbert and Katherine Jacobs House (Madison, Wisconsin) and the Guggenheim Museum (New York). These buildings reflect the ‘organic architecture’ developed by Wright, which includes an open plan, a blurring of the boundaries between exterior and interior and the unprecedented use of materials such as steel and concrete. Each of these buildings offers innovative solutions to the needs for housing, worship, work or leisure. Wright's work from this period had a strong impact on the development of modern architecture in Europe.
References
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