Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
World Trade Center Site (Ground Zero)
Do you call a place where over 3,000 people lost their lives
an “attraction”? Or is it a shrine? This is the quandary of
the World Trade Center site. What had been a big hole for
5 years is a little more than that; construction began in
early 2006 on the proposed “Freedom Tower” to be built
at the site. But even though work is ongoing, there is still
much bickering as to what will rise from that hole. The new
design retains essential elements of the original—it soars
1,776 feet, its illuminated mast evoking the Statue of Lib-
erty's torch. From the square base, the Tower will taper into
eight tall isosceles triangles, forming an octagon at its cen-
ter. An observation deck will be 1,362 feet above ground.
For now, you can see the site through a viewing wall on
the Church Street side of the site; on that “Wall of Heroes”
are the names of those who lost their lives that day along
with the history of the site, including photos of the con-
struction of the World Trade Center in the late 1960s and
how, after it opened in 1972, it changed the New York sky-
line and downtown. A walk along the Wall of Heroes
remains a painfully moving experience.
The site is bounded by Church, Barclay, Liberty, and
West streets. Call
&
212/484-1222,
or go to
www.nycvisit.
com
or
www.southstseaport.org
for viewing information;
go to
www.downtownny.com
for lower-Manhattan area
information and rebuilding updates. The Tribute Center
gives guided tours of the site. Call
&
212/422-3520,
or visit
www.tributewtc.org
for more information. Tours are
given Monday to Friday at 11am and 1 and 3pm; Saturday
and Sunday at noon, 1, 2, and 3pm. The fee is $10 for
adults; under 12 free.
national chains, are unimaginative; and the attractions, like
Madame Tussauds New York
wax museum, are kitschy. I suppose
it's a little too Vegas for us. Still, you've come all this way; you've got
to at least take a peek, if only for the amazing neon spectacle of it.
Most Broadway theaters are around Times Square, so plan your
visit around your show tickets. For your pre-dinner meal, walk
2 blocks west to Ninth Avenue where you'll find many relatively
