http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2004/04/19/stories/2004041900110300.htm
Resilient New York
T.E. Raja Simhan
Though it is no more a city of joy post the horror of 9/11, New York has made a remarkable comeback.
On an extremely freezing evening, excitement ran high among us, a group of touring Indians, as we advanced to Ground Zero, the site where the World Trade Centre (WTC) in New York stood prior to 9/11. The excitement, however, turned to shock when we saw that what was left of the world famous twin towers was a vast vacant space - the size of a small playground. All that remains at the site today is a 20-ft cross iron beam, found amidst the rubble of WTC.
The entire place looked depressing; people hardly talked to each other as they went past Ground Zero. Visitors are eyed with suspicion and fear. When we wanted to have a picture of us taken at the site, a friend living in New Jersey, stopped us saying, "Please do not take a your. It is not a tourist spot, but a place of grief."
Says Jerry (name changed), an attendant at an outlet of Burger King facing Ground Zero, "The WTC is currently New York's largest tourist trap. It gets more visitors now than when the towers were standing. And, for visitors, but for the cross, there is nothing to see except the debris."
Pictures depicting the dreadful attack are all over the sidewalks. There are also archived pictures of the majestic WTC standing tall in Lower Manhattan. The sidewalks also bear the names of those killed in the incident.
Thousands pass by Ground Zero to get to the Mass Transit Rail subway, located adjacent to the site. Incidentally, the terrorist attack damaged the Number 1 and 9 subway tunnels and stations in Lower Manhattan so extensively that the line had to be completely rebuilt for more than a mile.
It is said that about 575 ft of the line collapsed totally in two separate locations. In several places, individual beams from WTC, weighing tonnes, punched through the street, through about seven ft of earth and through the concrete-and-brick tunnel ceiling, and then kept on going into the tunnel floor, where they remain lodged like spears.
The subway has got a new lease on life. There are pictures all round the station depicting the terrorist attack and New York's remarkable comeback.
New York, like Mumbai, never sleeps. As Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, says in his welcome note in a city guide, "Whether you are pursuing a business opportunity or seeing the sights - whether your passion is world-class sports, Broadway entertainment or the latest in fashion and design - I am sure that you will find that New York City remains the Capital of the World."
"If you can't talk the talk, you can at least walk the walk and get a real sense of how New Yorkers live, work and play," says the city's pocket guide. The undisputed financial capital of the world maintains its pride of place amongst some of the most influential, beautiful and historic landmarks in the city, all within walking distance of each other.
The Lovely Trinity Church on Broadway is an important landmark in Downtown New York. Designed by Richard Upjohn, the church is considered an example of Gothic Reveal architecture and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
Around the corner, George Washington made his mark by taking his oath of office at the Federal Hall Memorial. A few steps away is Wall Street that houses the New York Stock Exchange. The building is also closely located to the Federal Reserve Bank.
The waterfront, where old meets new, the South Street Seaport, affords a fascinating view of the world famous Brooklyn Bridge. One can sit here for hours watching ships, including cruise liners pass under the bridge.
New York's most famous fixture, the Empire State Building, is located at Midtown in the Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Starring in over 90 movies, though no longer the tallest building in the world, it is the most famous landmark of the city. It immediately brings to mind the Hollywood block buster, An Affair to Remember if not Sleepless in Seattle. Constructed in just two years (1930-1931), the 1,453-ft colossus instantly became a tourist magnet.
Soaring over a quarter mile into the Manhattan sky, this landmark offers visitors breathtaking views from both the 86th floor and 102nd floor observatories. On a clear day, you can see up to 80 miles and right acroos to the States of Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts, as well as New York. About 20,000 people work in the building, and more than 3.3 million people visit its observation deck annually.
The historical landmarks that can be viewed from the building's observatory include the UN Headquarters, Statute of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Times Square and Rockefeller Centre. A major tourist attraction within the Empire State Building is the New York Skyride. A comedy central video presentation on the virtues of New York precedes a rough-and-tumble motion-simulator ride above and around some of the city's top attractions that is projected on a two-storey-tall screen. Since it's part helicopter video and part roller-coaster ride, children simply love it.
For shopping enthusiasts, New York could be the ultimate one-stop shop. But only for those with deep pockets! The 34th Street houses Macy's, the world's largest department store that has dominated Herald Square since 1902. If one does not like one-stop shopping, there are other stores that house world famous brands such as Banana Republic, The Gap, Old Navy and Zara.
Those who watch the BBC's Business Show, will immediately recognise the Nasdaq screen in the background. One may not be aware that the location is Times Square.
The Square has an interesting history. In 1904, the New York Times built the Times Tower on 43rd street just off Broadway to replace the premises in Downtown Longacre square, but was soon renamed Times Square. The inauguration of the Times' new headquarters was celebrated with a fireworks display, starting a New Year's Eve tradition, which continues today.
Turn to any side of the street and billboards will stare at you. At night, they are lit up and make for a fascinating sight. The entire area comes live then.
A gift from the French Government to the US on a birthday of the American Indpendence, the Statue of Liberty attracts a large number of visitors.
For many immigrants from Europe to New York, the Statue of Liberty remains the first image they saw of the US. It was designed by a young French sculptor, Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, who was striving to build a statue like the great Colossus that once stood on at the Greek island Rhodos.
Considered to be an architectural marvel, the statue's face was modelled after the sculptor's mother and the story goes that the body was modelled after a prostitute. Gustave Eiffel, who built the Eiffel Tower in Paris, made the steel framework. It was constructed in France and sent to the US in 350 individual pieces packed in 214 crates.
The statue's torch was displayed in Madison Square Park for six years in an attempt to spark interest and attract funds. But it was only after publisher Joseph Pulitzer published the names of those who donated money for the project that the funds started flowing in. Eventually, the statue was erected in 1886. The Statue of Liberty is 46.5 metres high and together with the pedestal it towers to 93 metres.
Earlier, it was possible to take the staircase inside the statue and walk all the way up the 354 steps to the head from where you could get a nice view of New York City. But, for security reasons this has been stopped after 9/11.
Transportation to Liberty Island is via Circle Line ferry, which departs on a regular schedule both from Battery Park in New York and Liberty State Park in New Jersey. The cost for the ferry is the only money you have to spend when you visit the Statue of Liberty or Ellis Island.
Till September 2001, New York would have been just a city of joy. But, today the city has become a symbol of joy and sorrow. And, its people have made a remarkable comeback after the 9/1 tragedy that shattered thousands of lives. Today, life just goes on in New York.
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