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| ONE WORLD TRADE CENTRE |
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| SOMEONE WAVING AT ME |
Today (Thursday), I made for Manhattan's financial district by walking the waterside path down the west side. I passed through several attractive parks, but the view ahead was soon dominated by 1WTC, the tallest of several new buildings which replace the destroyed World Trade Center complex. I was irresistibly drawn towards it, and soon found myself in the queue for passes to see the 9/11 Memorial.
The Memorial itself comprises waterfalls cascading into two pools set in the footprints of the Twin Towers. The names of the, almost 3,000, victims of the terrorist attacks are inscribed in bronze parapets around the pools. Surrounding the Memorial is a beautiful tree-filled plaza in which to wander around and contemplate - eventually in peace and quiet, but not right now. The Memorial is presently surrounded by a noisy army of builders who are in the process of completely reconstructing the site. I think this was what impressed me the most. There was a real sense of: 'We've been hurt, but we're coming back stronger'. The new 1WTC is taller than the original Twin Towers. Indeed it is now one of the tallest buildings in the world, and probably the most expensive. Along with its unofficial name of Freedom Tower, a statement is clearly being made here. I found the whole experience of visiting the Memorial quite an emotional one.
I continued my walk around the waterfront, and might have paid for a boat ride around the Statue of Liberty had Tam not told me that the Staten Island Ferry goes almost as close, and it's free!! I noticed a Coastguard Gunboat escorting us as we crossed the water.
On my return I walked past Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges before returning to my digs via Chinatown, which seems to have its very own Chinese-style McDonald's - Gutbuster Double Prawn Burger with Noodles and a Herbal Tea, no doubt.
