It was our lucky day. We bought tickets to visit the Statue of Liberty and they threw in some abuse at no extra charge.

Before we were allowed on the ferry to Liberty Island there was some gruelling security to survive. Scary militant ladies yelled at us to remove our hats, watches, jewellery, jackets and scarves.

I stood there a little dumbfounded and more than a little concerned I would end up starkers in the chilly New York breeze.

I'm really not exaggerating. It was more like turning up at Day One of boot camp than arriving at a tourist attraction.

The staff barked all sorts of orders and I was even told off at one point for not getting my gear out of the plastic X-ray containers quickly enough.

I understand the extreme security as the Statue of Liberty is the United States' most legendary symbol of freedom.

But I couldn't quite figure out why the staff had adopted such full-on attitudes, which only added to the stress of the jam-packed crowd situation.

Luckily, I put the two and a half hour security/ferry ride/more security mission behind me the moment I laid eyes on Lady Liberty up close.

I was totally mesmerised by the statue, particularly as Tim and I had bought some nifty audio tour devices and the history of the statue and the island was being pumped into our ears as we walked around Liberty Island.

You can't help but get caught up in the fascinating story and while you can't go right to the top of the statue anymore, you can get your hands on tickets which allow you to go inside to appreciate the enormous structure.

A few tips if you're planning on visiting the Statue of Liberty - it pays to get your tickets the day before you want to go, that way you can score tickets to go inside before they run out (there's a daily limit).

It also pays to get up at the crack of dawn or your Liberty experience will turn into a whole day spent lining up in New York's biggest queue which winds around Battery Park.

Next stop: Walking over the Brooklyn Bridge on a sunny Saturday is as good as it gets.

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.

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