8:00 a.m. I watch the millions of people run around New York City. Probably many of them are coming to see me! Thousands of people visit me every single day. After all, I am the Statue of Liberty. My home is in south-ern Manhattan on Liberty Island. This has been my home for a while, but before I came here I lived in France. I was a gift from France. They thought that they should give a gift to the Americans as a symbol of friendship and American Independence. I was ac-tually built in France as well, but I was taken apart (that hurt a bit), packed in 214 cases, and shipped to New York!

8:45 a.m. Here come the custodians. They clean up Liberty Island and all around the base, which I stand upon. And there are the food venders. They always ar-rive before opening times. They open their shops and get ready for another big day. The food peo-ple serve hotdogs, hamburgers, ice cream and many other foods.

9:30 a.m. The tourists are coming! They left New York City at Battery Park and are now on the ferry. They look extremely excited. This is the first of many ferries of the day. Many people are here to just walk around Liberty Island and stare up at me, but only a few are going to go inside of me. The num-ber of these people is very limited. Only about 240 out of thousands are allowed each day.

9:50 a.m. Many camera flashes are going off! It is so bright! I feel like I’m a movie star! However, I have not al-ways been open to the public. After the terrorist attack at the World Trade Center, they closed Lib-erty Island. Then, a number of years later, I was reopened to the public! That was a relief; I started to get bored!

10:30 a.m. Some people are starting to go inside of me. These peo-ple made reservations up to six months in advance. They climb single file up all of my 142 steps. When they climb, it kind of tickles! The metal steps are very nar-row, steep, and are spiral. The people who are allowed in me can go up to my crown. In my crown, there is an ob-servation deck. They can stick their heads out of my crown windows and look down at the tiny people. My crown has seven spikes. Each spike represents free-dom’s light shining on the all seven continents and seas. One person said that she was really hot in me. It is be-cause I am 151 feet high, and on summer days, it gets well over 100 degrees. With my base, I am 302 feet high.

11:13 a.m. The group is starting to go back down my 142 steps. On the way down, the tour guide talks about me. The facts are getting really annoying. Let me put it this way, I hear the same facts more than 1,000 times a day on Liberty Island! She says that I am made out of thin sheets of pounded copper. I am composed of more than 300 copper sheets and sections 3/32 of an inch thick. Also, I am supported by an iron framework. I think you understand...

11:30 a.m. The first group’s ferry is leaving and the next group to visit Liberty Island arrives. Tourists from around the world are taking pictures of me; the flashes hurt my eyes! On Liberty Island, the tour guides tell the people about me. They talk about my history. They say that I was completed in 1886. My left hand holds a tablet with the date July 4, 1776, which repre-sents the Declaration of Independence. The broken chain near my feet symbolizes the victory of liberty over tyranny. Also, I was made a national monument in 1924.

2:00 p.m. Many groups have came and gone throughout the day. But I am still not done for today. The last ferry leaves Liberty Island at 3:30, which means I have one hour and a half left. A family is in me right now. The tour guide says that I weigh 450,000 pounds. Yes, I am a big lady, but people still love me! These tourists, like many others, waited in line for the ferry trip to see me for over 90 minutes!

3:30 p.m. The last ferry leaves for the day. I smile at my visitors as they ride on the ferry back to New York City. Now the food sellers pack up their stands and the custodians clean. Then they go on their boats and head home for the day.

8:00 p.m. I’m alone on my island. It is kind of peaceful now, but sometimes I get bored. I think about how lucky I am to attract more than two million visi-tors a year. Good night, New York.

Venders: a person who sell something Limited: confined within limits; re-stricted Reservations: Observation Deck Monument Attract