The Lady Turns 125!

Happy birthday to the Statue of Liberty.  She is 125 years old today.  When I came to this country in 1975, I remember being disappointed that she was not the first thing  I saw when the plane landed. 
I can only imagine the emotion felt by those immigrants who came by boat and glimpsed her in the harbor.

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Sailing From Red Hook On The "City Clipper"

The weather could not have been more perfect this last Friday for a sailing trip from Red Hook to the Statue of Liberty and back on the Clipper City, a wonderful 158' steel replica of an 1854 wooden cargo schooner built from the original plans in the Smithsonian Institute.

Currently, the schooner is operating out of Pier 17 at South Street Seaport, but for a limited time, the City Clipper was leaving from Atlantic Basin's Pier 11, next to the Brooklyn Cruise terminal. The Brooklyn sailings were organized by PortSide New York, a non-profit organization which has been developing various programs about the water and waterway, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Manhattan By Sail , Inc.

Together, they made 550 free tickets available for a sail to the Statue of Liberty and back.

My husband and I were lucky to be able to get some of these tickets.

The idea is to bring to Brooklyn's Atlantic Basin " a maritime hub, with visiting vessels (working and historic), H2O themed arts, youth programs and recreation, a maritime career center, cultural tourism products and policy-programs for diverse economic groups and individuals."

Their chief ambassador, the Mary A. Whalen, a 172' repurposed coastal oil tanker, will be docked at the Atlantic Basin this summer.

The sailing trip was just lovely, taking us past the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, beautiful views of Downtown Manhattan, and of course, right up to the Statue of Liberty.

It was a perfect way of spending a sunny spring day.

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