Hey people of the world, it’s THE RIDE! I’m back to dispel some myths and drop some knowledge about the green statute you saw on your way into New York City. She’s known as the Statue of Liberty by most common folk, but I’ll bet you don’t know her real name. The statue is officially named, “Liberty Lighting the World.” It’s a pretty good name, but no where near as catchy as THE RIDE. Next, I want to tell you about the history of this statute as it came from what seems today like an unusual source.

The Statue of Liberty may possibly be the biggest symbol of the United States of America. You might want to sit down for this one. Though she resides on our soil, the sculpture was actually planned and created by the French! Yeah, I’ll bet you didn’t see that one coming. Almost like the time I got distracted by this beautiful limousine named LOLA. It turns out LOLA was an acronym for Louie’s Online Limousine Association. The limo that had me on the verge of writing a sonnet (in iambic pentameter of course) was a dude named Steve. I really didn’t see that coming either, but for those of you concerned, Steve and I became good friends.

Anyway, France wanted to honor our day of Independence and we agreed it was a pretty good idea. We built the base and France constructed and shipped the sculpture. They actually broke the structure down into over 300 pieces for shipping. In 1886, Grover Cleveland announced the completion of the statue in front of thousands of spectators. The project began in 1876 and it was complete about ten years later. “Late” is something I, THE RIDE, know nothing about.

Finally, I would like to discuss the location of the statute, as this can be a sore subject for many people and possibly lead to a brutal war between New Jersey and New York. The statue and Liberty Island actually reside in New Jersey waters. The catch is that according to the Federal Government, its docks belong under New York jurisdiction. So, if you hear someone from New Jersey talking about how the Statue of Liberty really belongs to them, feel free to correct them. Tell them THE RIDE sent you!