Lady Liberty's Crown Could Open on July 4th

Last July 4th word came out that the Statue of Liberty's crown may have a shot at reopening, after being closed off to the public following 9/11. Now the Daily News reports that, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar (who visited the crown in January), the grand reopening could take place on America's 233rd birthday.

Representative Anthony Weiner, who has long been fighting for the reopening but whose efforts were continuously blocked by the Bush administration, said, "I can't think of a better birthday present for our nation. Reopening the crown of Lady Liberty will restore a quintessential New York and American experience."

Don't expect it to be exactly like the old days, however, Salazar said that they may implement "a ticketing or lottery system to allow small groups of people to enter the crown at specific times." This will likely take care of the safety concerns of sending large groups up the narrow 168-step double-helix spiral staircase, but there are still security concerns—a report assessing them is expected by April 15th.