August 25, 2009
Overheated: Lady Liberty's crown closed for scorcher
If you thought it was hot outside last week, just be glad you weren’t in the Statue of Liberty’s head.
 The National Park Service had to cancel tours to Lady Liberty’s crown at least one day last week after temperatures topped 130 degrees inside the statue, according to Mindi Rambo, a writer in the NPS public affairs office for the National Parks of New York Harbor.
“There is an absolute trigger point which is 100 degrees and 65 percent humidity which translates into about 136 degrees inside the statue,” Rambo wrote in an e-mail to NewYorkology. “However, our emergency medical staff does have some leeway to advise closure if visitors appear to be in distress at lower temperatures but higher humidity.”
For the first time since September 11, 2001, the Statue of Liberty’s crown reopened for public tours July 4, but only 30 people are allowed to make the climb per hour due to safety reasons. Even prior to the 2001 closure, the statue’s crown routinely closed on very hot days, made even less comfortable as the old policy allowed as many as people as possible to snake around the 354 steps to the head.
Summertime visitors who want to be sure they can reach the top would be wise to reserve an early-morning time-specific tour.
Tickets for the Statue of Liberty’s crown must be purchased in advance through Statue Cruises, the only company allowed to take visitors to Liberty and Ellis islands. Currently tickets are almost completely sold out through November, but earlier dates sometimes pop into the system due to cancellations.
Surprisingly, while heat is a problem for the statue, storms are not. “The statue is so well grounded that a lightening strike won’t affect visitors inside other than seriously startling them,” Rambo said.
Related: FAQ: Reserving Tickets to Visit the Crown (NPS)
Picture credits: Amy Langfield/NewYorkology.
Earlier: Inside Statue of Liberty’s crown looking out on NYC
Video: The view from inside Statue of Liberty’s crown
August 25, 2009 11:30 AM in Architecture, Cheap Stuff, Downtown, Kids, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Tours
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