We visited the
New York World Trade Center complex in February. It has an impressive array of things to do and see, from the 9/11 Memorial to the tallest tower in the western hemisphere to the transportation hub and mall.
One World Trade Center is the tallest building at 1776 feet. It has 104 stories and has an amazing observation deck at the top for visitors, which will be the subject of the next blog post.
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| One World Trade Center |
Construction in the area is still ongoing, which I found amazing.
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| Ready to build more |
The
9/11 Memorial Plaza is eight acres with two memorial waterfalls at the footprints of the original twin towers. The names of all who died on that day and also on the February 26, 1993 attack are written on the perimeter. It's a somber reminder of the loss we all experienced that day.
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| The South Tower Memorial |
On their birthdays, flowers are put by the names of people who died.
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| Reading about the memorial |
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| A birthday flower |
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| Another view |
The memorial plaza includes a museum that we did not visit. I wasn't sure if the kids were up for it (we do have a four-year old).
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| View of museum from memorial |
Just down the street is the New York Firefighters Memorial, a long bronze bas relief depicting the heroism of the firefighters. It was dedicated in 2006 and is moving tribute.
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| The whole wall |
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| Left-most part |
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| Left middle |
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| Right middle |
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| Right-most part |
Part of the complex is a transportation hub that is also part of the shopping mall. Called "The Oculus" it was designed by Santiago Calatrava. From the outside, it reminds me of a large skeleton's ribs, though maybe it's meant to be an eye with long white lashes.
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| Oculus |
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| The spines/lashes |
Inside is very open and airy. The arched spines give a church-like feel to the place.
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| Inside the Oculus |
Just on the other side is a festively decorated area that looks like a gathering place or a great spot to have an outdoor lunch.
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| Fun decor! |
In the next post, we visit the observation deck atop One World Trade Center.
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