Chai Tea Latte: American Identity; "Statue of Liberty"

So here I am again travelling, this time I am spending a sunny month in New York (Long Island & Manhattan thus far).

Today, I visited Statute of Liberty, even though I got lost on the way, I made it. It is quite a surreal part of New York because on one side you have the financial distract, namely Wall Street and further up Fulton Street which bar tourists is ridiculously quiet on a Sunday and on the other side the confluence of the East & Hudson River.

I took a cruise to see the statute and sadly due the damage that the 2012 Sandy Storm caused, was not able to get of on Staten Island (which actually counts as an individual borough of New York!) and climb it.

The Statue of Liberty is a funny monument, in the sense that it is seen to be beacon of American culture and identity and yet was designed, commissioned and gifted by the French in 1886. Lady Liberty is said to be based on the architect Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi's , the statue's designer, mother's face and mistress' body (an odd combination I am sure would have intrigued Freud!).

Furthermore, this national symbol of America was used to greet immigrants between 1892-1954 who came to America in search of a better quality of life and it was at the point of being welcomed by Lady Liberty did the immigrants have health, fitness and financial capabilities tests thrown upon them.

It intrigues me that how a monument arguably French, historically utilised as a symbol of hope and welcoming to immigrants became to be America's national symbol.

This leads me onto the economics of America. I remember reading in the Economist the book review of "The Immigrant Exodus: Why America Is Losing the Global Race to Capture Entrepreneurial Talent" By Vivek Wadhwa, where it was discussed that can America even conceive a sustainable, powerful and influential future without immigration, obviously here the bias was that it could not.

So perhaps the true reason why the Statue of Liberty is often perceived as the identity of America is because it recognises that the power of America lies within the hope that it offers to migrants and of-course this can be tied into its French identity.

Of-course what I am saying is largely ideological, even as a tourist I was faced with a ridiculous amount of immigration security at the airport, so I can only imagine that at a time of tightening immigration how hard it is for migrants. In addition, the educational and financial requirements needed to settle into a country are continually increasing, leaving that true social mobility that was seen in the lives of immigrants between 1892-1954, something it fantasise about.

Following my trip to the monument, which actually I should say I was disappointed by as I feel like it isn't the most beautiful or incredibly built sculpture I have seen, I headed to Trinity Church.

Trinity Church was originally the tallest structure when it was built in 1849, and even the the church was fully covered in scaffolding from the outside when I visited, it is a truly beautiful church. I found in the main praying room something very serene, tranquil and peaceful. Despite having a number of tourist trapezing around with their pushchairs, taking photos, it is almost as you don't feel it. The stain glass windows and the cemetery (despite personally disliking cemeteries) are something to marvel at.

Located in Wall Street, you don't feel like you are in the financial and tourist hub of New York where not too far away the dreadful 9/11 events had taken place.

The church, if you look online for instance, are nothing special. Strangely they feature on the Timeout guide because at the time when it was built, the building was revolutionary. However, if you are even a bit religious or spiritual or curious, I think its worth a visit as it is quite surprising peaceful.

After this, I had a quick walk around Wall Street, it was nice to see the NYSE, after writing an essay about it in my exam a few weeks ago! There are mainly office buildings and tourists around. There is also a museum, which I cannot now remember the name of. There are a few shops like TJ Maxx and Duane Reade but you have too look a bit around. And of course, there is Tiffany @WallStreet, #LicenseToDreamISay....

A few photos attached...