The Statue of Liberty, her torch upraised in welcome since 1886, was a gift to the US from the people of France. Alsatian sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi and French engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel created the 225-ton, 151ft colossus. The observation deck atop the base affords spectacular city views, and the climb to the statue's crown is a quintessential New York experience. Access to Liberty Island and the statue is by ferry from Castle Clinton at the southern tip of Manhattan.