Statue of Liberty reopens after Sandy damage

NEW YORK Romance can be tumultuous, and no one knows that better than the Statue of Liberty. Over and over, Lady Liberty has been separated from her adoring public, most recently by an uninvited guest named Sandy who stormed through, leaving heartbreak and ruin in her wake.

For eights months, the statue stood alone in New York Harbor, but the painful breakup was pushed aside Thursday as visitors returned to the Statue of Liberty for the first time since the superstorm shut her down on Oct. 29, 2012. It was the third closure since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"I don't know about you, but I'm getting a little bit tired of reopening and closing the Statue of Liberty," David Luchsinger, the national monument's superintendent, said with a laugh as the sun beat down on Liberty's golden torch. "I think this time we'll just leave it alone."

As he spoke, hundreds of thousands of visitors swarmed Lady Liberty and her home, Liberty Island, a short ferry ride from Lower Manhattan and uninhabited save for the 127-year-old woman who symbolizes freedom, from her shimmering torch to the broken chain at her feet.

As the first tourist boat of the day circled the island and visitors got a close-up view of Liberty's strong jaw and steady-gazing eyes, they fell quiet. Many lowered their cellphones, stopped taking pictures, and just stared.

"She's beautiful," said Rebecca Hines of Byron, Ill. "This isn't something you can capture on an iPad."

"Pictures don't do it justice at all," said her 16-year-old son, Alex.

Officials said it was literally a round-the-clock effort to get the statue reopened in time for Independence Day, which had been their goal since Superstorm Sandy sent a record 14-foot storm surge over much of New York. Lady Liberty survived unscathed, but her home was trashed. The ferry docks were splintered, the electrical and sewage systems were destroyed, and the walkways and railings surrounding her pedestal were a total loss.

The National Park Service expected to spend about $56 million to fix Liberty Island and adjacent Ellis Island, home to an immigration museum that remains closed. But the cost soared to $77 million as officials sought to use materials that they hope will prevent the next monstrous storm from damaging the islands' infrastructure.

"It was no small feat," National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said of the Liberty Island restoration, which included putting 53,000 new paving stones and 2,000 feet of granite in place.

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Statue of Liberty reopens after Sandy damage