My NY trip tip!

Lots of people in New York pay and queue to get a "cruise boat" to see Lady Liberty.
But a few yards past Battery Park is the base of the Staten Island Ferry which leaves every 30 minutes and is never full. It takes 20 minutes and sails past the Statue and Ellis Island and has a great vantage point on the outward and return trip.
And it's free! Complements of the State.