Yesterday, the Statue of Liberty's crown reopened to excited crowds. But the visits were tempered with the reality of climbing 354 steps during a beautiful (and warm!) day: The NY Times reports, "No wonder by the time these huddled masses reached the top of the hot, sticky and narrow staircase, they were indeed yearning to breathe free." One visitor said it was "absolutely awesome!" and "intensely uncomfortable." Anyway, one couple made the most of the heady views—Aaron Weisinger of Walnut Creek, California proposed to girlfriend Erica Breder. Breder said yes, "I had no idea. Even when he got down on one knee, I still didn't know what was going on." Weisinger explained why the holiday was important to the couple—their families immigrated from Eastern Europe, his great-grandparents through Ellis Island and Breder's father came to New York and drove a cab when he arrived from Czechoslovakia. Weisinger said, "The Statue of Liberty symbolizes independence and freedom. It's a pretty unique spot." more ›

After years of being out of tourists' reach, the Statue of Liberty's crown will reopen tomorrow. Groups of 30 people at time will be able to travel all the way to the top of the landmark, and two of the people in the first group are Aleyna Bartnick and her father Chris. The Merrick 8-year-old, whose mother passed away a year after her birth, is fascinated with the Statue of Liberty and her nanny April Shrader snagged tickets, thanks to two phones and the redial button. Shrader told Newsday, "If I told her I'd gotten Jonas Brothers tickets, she could care less. But when she found out she was going to the Statue of Liberty, she was jumping up and screaming like most kids do for Hannah Montana." Aleyna excitedly said, "I've only seen pictures of it, and I know it's special because it welcomes the people who come to America," and showed off her knowldge—"The seven points on the crown represent the seven continents and the seven seas." Awww. Also: The Daily News had an essay contest, picking five kids (one from each borough, natch) to visit the crown tomorrow—the kids met Rep. Anthony Weiner, who said their essays will be printed in the Congressional Record. Nice! more ›