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Demand high for tickets to visit Liberty’s crown
Closed since terrorist attacks, repaired landmark reopens for July Fourth
 Bryan Bedder The Statue of Liberty, seen here in September 2006, is reopening completely to the public after being shuttered after the 9/11 attacks. It was partially reopened in 1994. |
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NEW YORK - It's hot, it's dark and it's crowded, but people just can't wait to visit.
The Statue of Liberty's crown is opening to tourists on July Fourth for the first time in eight years. It closed shortly after terrorists leveled the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
Tickets for the July Fourth weekend sold out within hours.
Tegan Firth, spokeswoman for Statue Cruises, says the crown tickets went on sale June 13th and are already sold out through early September.
240 visitors a day
Visitors will once again be able to see the majestic view of New York Harbor from Lady Liberty's crown starting on Independence Day, which is Saturday.
The top of the famed copper statue has been closed for nearly eight years, but visitors have been able to tour the pedestal and lower observation decks since 1994.
About 240 visitors will get to make the trip all the way up to Liberty's crown each day. Firth notes visitors have more room to move around on the observation deck, located inside the statue's pedestal, than in the crown.
Some wonder why it took so long for the crown to reopen.
New York Congressman Anthony Weiner calls the eight-year closure "a partial victory for terrorists" and an "embarrassment for the federal government."
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