Statue of Liberty is on Twitter and offers insider’s e-tours

How hip is this for a 122-year-old lady? The Statue of Liberty is tweeting on the social networking site Twitter.com (@statuelibrtynps) and giving e-tours of her innards, just in time for the Fourth of July, when the icon’s crown opens for the first time since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

So far, the tweets have been pretty tame, but they give useful tips, such as how to get through statue security (cleverly titled: “No bag ladies allowed” ). Tweeters include rangers and “associated staffers,” said Mindi Rambo, spokeswoman for the National Parks of New York Harbor.

The “Statue of Liberty National Monument eTour” is a good ride, with videos, 360-degree panoramas, ranger talks and fun facts. (This link sends you to a page that offers high-speed and dial-up options for downloading the “Virtual Tour” and tells how to navigate the tour.)

One video takes you inside, showing climbers trudging up the 146-step spiral staircase to the crown. (StairMaster, anyone?). The historic photos of building the monument are great. And where else could you learn that Liberty’s smile is 3 feet wide?

Audio tours of the statue and  the Ellis Island Immigration Museum have also been updated, with an interactive children’s version, more oral histories, info on the statue’s interior and other extras. The downside: The price is now $8, instead of $6 per adult; children and seniors get discounts.

— Jane Engle, assistant Los Angeles Times Travel editor

[Photo: Statue of Liberty and her crowning glory. Credit: Timothy A. Clary / AFP / Getty Images]

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This entry was posted on Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 1:37 am by Jane Engle and is filed under East Coast, New York, News, Tips & Advice, Travel Technology, Travel Video. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.