Lady Liberty Lives Again!

Superstorm Sandy was a total bitch — There’s no doubt about that. Among the many things she ravaged? Liberty Island, the home of Lady Liberty, New York’s hallowed symbol of all Americans’ ability to exercise freedom and control over their own actions.

When Sandy hit in October of last year, tours of the Statue of Liberty had only been available for a day, after renovations in 2011 kept the Lady closed to the public for a year. Sandy forced the monument to be shut down again when the storm severely damaged key infrastructure on Liberty Island, including the dock used by the ferries that transport visitors (the statue itself was unharmed).

But it looks like we’ll finally be getting her back this summer on July 4th, according to today’s announcement by the Department of the Interior.

In case you were curious or need a refresher, the Statue of Liberty was a gift to the U.S. from France in 1886 and depicts a robed lady who represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom. She carries a torch and a tablet, the latter of which is inscribed with the date of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). From the ground to the tip of the torch, she stands at 305 feet tall. No matter how many times you’ve seen her as a tourist from near or afar, no matter how many years you’ve lived in New York, it’s kind of hard to not be in awe of such an incredible figure of a woman.

Long live Lady Liberty!

Featured image courtesy of Shutterstock