"...her name Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand glows worldwide welcome..."

With so many inspiring sights in NYC, the one that I think I still feel the most is the Statue of Liberty. Maybe because I see it the least? I don't really know, but when I catch a glimpse of it, the feeling is always the same; a little bit of awe, a little bit of pride. It always brings a smile to my face. I don't think I'm alone in this either. She was dedicated 135 years ago today. For over a century she has stood as a beacon in the harbor.

I made this photo last week when I stumbled into a view of Liberty that I hadn't seen before. A lot of times the city feels very small to me. Especially since covid, I find myself following the same paths and staying within the East Village. The truth is it is massive and there is no shortage of new ways to see something.

Emma Lazarus's words from her poem "The New Colossus" are probably the most famous reference to Lady Liberty. In her poem, she says "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore, send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me: I lift my lamp beside the golden door."

She wrote the poem in 1883, during the statue’s construction. I only realized today that Lazarus died the year after the statue was dedicated. Her words were immortalized on a plaque on it's base in 1903, 20 years after writing it and 6 years after her death.

What is your favorite sight in NYC? When you walk down the street, what inspires you here? What inspires you from your hometown?

#iloveNY #StatueOfLiberty #NYC #Liberty #Photography #Sony #SonyAlpha #Skyline #APAD