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The Today Show is broadcasting live from the Statue of Liberty's crown this morning with an exclusive scoop from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar: For the first time since 9/11, the general public will be allowed up into Lady Liberty's diadem, starting July 4th. Officials hope the news will give a little boost to New York’s tourist industry, but really it's all worth it just to see this goofy video of NBC's morning show hosts gabbing from the crown.
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Salazar announced that for security reasons, access will be limited to guided groups of 30 visitors at a time, and "some sort of lottery system" will determine who gets to go up: "We're going to do it in a fair way. Everybody will have a chance to get up to the crown." Starting, of course, with celebrities and pundits—Today Show hosts Matt Lauer, Meredith Vieira, Ann Curry and Al Roker have already chilled up there twice this week; a few days ago the National Park Service arranged for them to explore the crown in preparation for the broadcast. But the big news here is that Al Roker successfully climbed up 354 steps twice in one week.
The 30-at-a-time system will operate for two years, after which the statue will be closed down again for renovations to make access to the crown easier and safer; besides concerns about terrorism, the Parks Department has admitted that the narrow spiral staircase to the top "violates every fire code in the city of New York and the state of New York and the state of New Jersey." And the crown itself is a "firetrap" with "only one entrance, no firewalls and a several building code violations." Today Salazar promised that once the safety changes are implemented, 100,000 people a year will be able to climb to the top.
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The NYT wrote twice that it's only 146 steps to the crown. Just about every other source disagrees with this figure. However, 354 steps doesn't make sense if you're going from the pedestal to the crown. That would be a rise of ~4" per step (~112' from pedestal to crown), and the steps are clearly larger than that. It seems 354 is the number from the ground to the crown, which I doubt they did since there's an elevator to the pedestal.
Yeah, I'm bored. So what?
But the big news here is that Al Roker successfully climbed up 354 steps twice in one week.
Oh, and here was the great John Del Signore complaining yesterday that he was misunderstood for his sarcasm. This isn't sarcasm. It's an unprovoked insult about Roker. If commenters take you to task, it's because of smug, snide asides like this. For all your protesting, you're little different from the trolls who proudly invoke the Darwin Awards when someone did something stupid and got hurt. There's an undeserved and inflated sense of superiority there.
Well everyone else laughed.
Nice to know you presume to speak for "everybody else." Or do you have one of those new-fangled Internet connections that allows you to snoop on everybody. Chloe O'Brien, is that you?
Matt Lauer is Such an ass. He Thinks He's God's Gift to American TV. You can see it in his attitude. The Typical U.E.S Prick with little Passion.
I've never been to the Statue of Liberty. Now maybe I'll go!
Going to the crown is a great experience, I still remember climbing to the top with my 70 year old aunt to be cramped like sardines in a tin can. But worth it!
Who's taking bets on the first base jump or suicide from the crown?
Would the necessary gear for BASE jumping make it through security?
It's still "base jumping" if you flap your arms or otherwise try to survive.
I honestly think this will revive the tourism on the island. The attitude used to be "Well we can't even go up to the top", maybe I'll pay another visit.
The Staten Island Ferry is free, but it's no crown.
i'm thinking the same thing, the price of everything might actually be worth it now... have to see how the lottery will work.
I'm really curious about the lottery system.
Will it be wheelchair accessible?
Also, please remove all metal objects before passing through the metal detector and place your bags on the x-ray belt.
Why didn't they do the needed renovations before or do it now? Instead of opening it then closing it again. Doesn't make much sense.
Seriously -- one would have imagined that having it shut down for years would have been understood as an opportune time to renovate.
There's going to be a lot of disappointment. 100,000 a year is less than 300 people a day. Ten guided tours.
I still say they should build a high-tech visitor center with stadium seating in front of a giant high-definition screen, fed by 2k-resolution Red cameras in real time. Some commenters here derided the idea as "going to the Statue to watch the surroundings on TV," but it sure beats not being one of the 270 or so lucky people each day who get to go up. Not to mention the elderly, handicapped, otherwise infirm or simply tired could still take in the magnificent view and enjoy it for much longer than a minute. It'd be like having a live Imax show or going to the Rose Center's planetarium. None of that is live, but people still go.
Matt Lauer is Such an ass. He Thinks He's God's Gift to American TV. You can see it in his attitude. The Typical U.E.S Prick with little Passion.
So only Americans can go to the crown?
I think so. No middle Eastern People re allowed up there. its Only Fair.
i remember going there on school trips. and the time someone puked over the spiral staircase banister in the neck - basically down the throat of lady liberty..