NEW YORK – Nightsky’s trip in August 2011

[Nightsky]

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York.html

NEW YORK – earthquakes, hurricanes and an exciting metropolis

Summary of my text from my website, written on Sep 10th 2011, 1 day before the 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks:

I went to New York City in August 2011 together with a friend. It was the second time, I also visited NY in march 1998, before 9/11. New York is still the same city, but the experience was a lot different; the old WTC twin towers are not there anymore, but the sun was shining, the trees were green, a lot of new skyscrapers have been added to the magnificent skyline and I had a new digicam to shoot with. Back then I was only 19 years old and I was there alone. It was grey, the trees had no leaves, I had a bad camera and didn’t care much about taking photos, but the city had still not witnessed the worst terrorist attack in history! So it was good to see that activity was going on on Ground Zero, once again making One World Trade Center the tallest building of New York. It is also good that they are building a memorial there. We arrived in JFK Airport, the largest of New York’s 3 airports, and travelled by American Airlines via London Heathrow and Copenhagen.

We booked 10 days, but had to cancel the last 2 nights, because of the hurricane Irene. We didn’t think much about the earthquake, but my friend was frightened about the hurricane Irene that threated NY on Sunday night, the same time that we should leave USA by plane! Especially since our hotel was located in a mandatory evacuation zone, right next to Hudson River that were supposed to be flooded.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg made everything to scare its citizens and evacuate to friends on the countryside or special evacuation shelters, just in case. So we rebooked our American Airlines flight for free and left The Big Apple already Friday night, instead of Sunday.

This is just a summary. You can read the whole story plus facts and figures of New York City here:

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York.html

“New York is the largest city of the USA, but it isn’t the capital. It is not even the capital of the state of New York. But it is the unofficial capital of the world!”

[Nightsky]

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_5th_Ave.html

5th Avenue is the most important avenue on Manhattan. If you walk along this avenue, you will find several of New York's most famous attractions such as Empire State Building in the part south of 49th Street on Midtown that is less fashionable and the part to the north of the street where you find Trump Tower, Public Library, St Patrick's Cathedral and many of the world's most exclusive brand stores. 5th Ave passes the busy Grand Army Plaza and continues to the east of Central Park, this part is called Museum Mile because of the large amount of museums. Overall it goes from Greenwich Village to Harlem.

Empire State Building

Empire State Building is probably the world's most famous skyscraper. It has 102 floors and is 381 m tall to the roof, but the official height to the antenna spire is 443 m. It was completed in 1931 and was the world's tallest building between 1972 when World Trade Center was completed. After the attacks on 9/11 2001, Empire State Building was once again the tallest building in New York and the 3rd tallest in USA (2011), but will be beaten by the new World Trade Center that will be completed in 2014. The building is famous for being part of the classic movie King Kong.You can read more about our visit to the observation deck on the 86th floor in this section, where you also can find interior pictures of the famous building. Views from the observation deck at dark will be shown later.








The art deco interior of Empire State Building.








New York Public Library with the skycrapers around Bryant Park in the background. We visited this classic library, North America's largest, several times, because it has free internet and we needed to find information about the hurricane Irene. Because of that the mood was a bit similar to the ones in disaster movies, such as Day after tomorrow, where this building has been featured. More about the library in the Bryant Park section.


5th Ave southwards, towards Lower Manhattan, the skyline can be seen in the distance.

This is just a summary of my 5th Avenue south part pictures. The rest can be seen on this link:

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_5th_Ave.html

[Nightsky]

Saks Fith Avenue, St Patrick's Cathedral, Olympic Tower (and Trump Tower in the background).









Bergdorf Goodman. A classic large department store.



GE Building, Rockefeller Center's tallest skyscraper, seen from 5th Ave. You can read more about it in the Rockefeller Center section.


Brooke Shields making an advertizement movie in the Godiva chocolate store at Fifth Avenue.



St Patrick's Cathedral is a Neo-gothic cathedral, that is New York's most famous church. It was built between 1858 and 1878, and was the tallest building of the area back then (Midtown was considered the outskirts). Even if there are skyscrapers that are taller it is still very impressive. It is since 1976 a National Historic Landmark. It is 100m tall to the top of the spires.















Even in reality smoke comes from the underneath the streets of Manhattan!






Sony Building, a 37-storey skyscraper from 1984 designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. The hotel Hilton in my hometown Malmö is insipired by it.









Trump Tower is a mixed use 58-storey glass skyscraper, developed by Donald Trump and designed by Der Scutt. In the lower half there is a fashionable shopping galleria with an atrium in peach marble that features a waterfall. It was completed in 1983. A large part of the galleria has been closed since my visit in 1998, probably because of security reasons.






Trump Tower's pink marble atrium features a 5-storey illuminated waterfall and bronze colored mirrors.





Grand Army Plaza is a square that is situated where Park Avenue meets Central Park, at 59th St. Around the square there is a golden equestrian statue and some classic skyscrapers, but the most famous building there is Hotel Plaza. It is also known for the many horse carriages that begin their routes there.


W T Sherman statue at the northern end of Grand Army Plaza, at the entrance to Central Park. "Victory" pointing the way forward has a palm frond in her hand.


Hotel Plaza and Solow Building at Grand Army Plaza.


Hotel Plaza, looking toward Central Park South. There are a lot of bike taxis at the plaza that try to make you a customer (in the middle).




The grandiose interior of Hotel Plaza.


The Shops, Plaza´s own shopping galleria.


Grand Army Plaza is where the horse carriages start their routes.










Apple Store. This locaation, open 24 hours a day, is located underground and features free internet, that we used to look up information about the hurricane Irene and the earthquake!


General Motors Building from 1968 is so massive it spans all the way from 5th Ave to Madison Ave. It is 215m and 50 floors tall. We tried to find the showroom for new GM cars in the lobby, but instead we saw a TV screen with news that an earthquake in Virginia just had occured and that it was felt in New York City. That expalains why so many people were standing on the plaza talking in cell phones; they have evacuated the skyscrapers (I learned that later). Look below:


That is probably people that have evacuated the skyscrapers and hotels around Grand Army Plaza. The 5.9 earthquake couldn't be felt on the ground, only in tall buildings.

This is just a summary of my 5th Avenue North part pictures. The rest can be seen on this link:

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_5th_Ave2.html

[spark317]

Excellent!!

[sterlippo1]

beautifully narrated and great pictures!

[ColDayMan]

Nice!

[Expat]

Thanks for showing beautiful scenes of New York.

[Nightsky]

PARK AVENUE:

Park Avenue runs from Union Square Park in the south to north of Central Park, but despite the name it never reaches Central Park (the avenue goes 2 block to the east of it). The construction of Grand Central Terminal, where the railway tracks were covered underground, made way for the construction of the north part of Park Avenue. North Park Avenue, the most famous part, is divided from the south part by Grand Central Terminal. Park Avenue passes the station on 2 bridges above E 42n Street, passing by Grand Central, so it is complicated to continue to the north side when reaching Grand Central as a pedestrian. The north part is where most of the skyscrapers are, many of them in 60s modernist style such as MetLife Bldg but also some older more beautful towers such as The Helmsley Bldg and General Electric Bldg. The famous de luxe hotel Waldorf Astoria also lies there, as well as the Swedish consulate that we visited to get information about evacuation orders for the Irene hurricane. In the middle of N Park Ave there are trees and flowers.

http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_Park_Ave.html


Park Avenue is one of the few avenues that is not a one way road (you can drive in 2 directions). The brown skyscraper with the triangular top is the 171m tall Park Avenue Tower.

Park Avenue buildings: Waldorf Astoria, St Bartholomew's Church, MetLife Bldg and more.


Grand Central with Metlife and Chrysler Bldgs. North Park Avenue begins here, passing by Grand Central by a heavily trafficated bridge.

MetLife Building, formerly Pan Am Building from 1963. It is 246m tall, has 58 floors and is connected to Grand Central Terminal. The reconstruction of Grand Central lead to the construciton of Pan Am Bldg, that was bought by MetLife in 1981 (but didn't replace the Pan Am logo until 1993). It is the tallest building with the address Park Avenue. There used to be a helicopter pad on the top, but it was closed after a fatal accident in 1977.
MetLife Bldg is counted as brutalist international style, a bit uncommon in New York. It is the first building on the north part of Park Avenue, direclty followed by Helmsley Building.

The Helmsley Building from 1929, the second building on North Park Avenue, is today overshadowed by the much larger MetLife Bldg, but it is still 172 m tall and has 35 floors and a classic architecture that features art deco, beaux arts and gothic elements. There are 2 gates that cars pass through.


Waldorf Astoria:

Waldorf=Astoria was built in 1931 and is considered one of the most famous and luxorious hotels in New York. It was the first hotel in the world to use room service! The hyphen = stands for the fact that Waldorf and Astoria was 2 separate hotel, later built together. The original Waldorf Astoria stood at the site where Empire State Bldg is today. Numerous famous movies, TV shows and important events have been taking place at the Waldorf Astoria, that has about 1700 rooms.
It is famous for its Waldorf salad and that presidents like Reagan and Hoover have stayed there. There is a train platform underneath the hotel that was built to be secretly used by president Franklin D Roosevelt and is part of Grand Central Terminal! It features an elevator big enough for the president's limousine The reason for that was to prevent showing that the president got polio.

The grandiose, dark art deco lobby of The Waldorf=Astoria. The hotel's 3-storey ballroom was the world's largest when completed. Its name comes from Walldorf in Germany and Astor is a family that lives there. John Jacob Astor, who invented the Astoria Hotel, died in the Titanic disaster.


General Electric Building (not to be confused with GE Bldg) is a beautiful 50-storey thin skyscraper from 1931. It is also called 570 Lexington Ave, but here it is seen from Park Ave.
St Bartholomew's Church in front of it is from 1917, is often nicknamed St Bart's and features a simplified byzantine design.




The modernist skyscraper to the right is JP Morgan Chase World HQ, the 2nd tallest building on Park Ave. It is 215m tall and has 52 floors. The skyscraper to the left in the background, 383 Madison Avenue, was built as late as in 2001.

A big yellow bear with a lamp playing with toys (cars and dolls)! A recently placed sculpture by Urs Fischer just outside the famous modernist Seagram Building.




Lever House. It doesn't look tall today (93m, 21 floors), but it was one of the first modernist international glass highrises in the world when it was completed in 1952. The green glass building was designed by the famous firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and has won many prices.

Seagram Building Plaza at Park Avenue with the new bear sculpture.



Four Seasons Hotel seen from Park Avenue.

MetLife and Grand Central seen from South Park Avenue.

The Big Apple!

[Danny]

Wonderful pictures, Nightsky! Thank you very much for this long and nice thread of NYC, the capital of the world!

Great photography! Thanks for the explanations.

It´s always great to visit NYC again, isn´t it? It´s unique.

Congratulations and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

[Nightsky]

Rockefeller Center

Rockefeller Center is a city within a city that consists of several blocks and 21 skyscrapers and restaurants and stores. It was developed by one of the world's richest men, John D Rockefeller Jr, in the 1930s. GE Building, formerly RCA Bldg, is the center's tallest (70 floors) and most famous skyscraper and one of only 2 skyscrapers on Manhattan that has public observation decks. There is a large sunken plaza with a golden statue and a waterfall, it's called the Concourse. The plaza is a popular skating rink during the winter. The concourse is also famous for having the world's tallest christmas tree during Christmas. In the summer there is a passage to 5th Avenue filled with palm trees. Rockefeller Center also features New York's largest underground city, invisible from above. There is only one elevator that takes you down there so it feels a bit like a secret city. The architecture of the underground city is pretty ugly, but the stores are exclusive and there is access to the observation deck of GE Bldg, Top of the Rock. NBC Studios and the famous Radio City Music Hall are located in Rockefeller Center. The Center consist of the old part from the 1930s with 14 art deco building, including GE Building, and the extention with its 4 modernist skyscrapers built in the 1960s and 70s. In my 1998 trip to NY I missed Rockefeller Center, so it felt good to visit it several times in 2011.

To watch my pictures of the views from the observation deck of GE Building, visit this page on WTI: http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New...kyline_GE.html


GE Building is the tallest and most famous building in Rockefeller Center. The art deco building was completed in 1933 and has 70 floors. It is 260m tall and was called RCA Building until 1988. On the top there is an observation deck called Top of the Rock, that was closed in 1986 and reopened in 2005.


The 70-storey GE Building seen from 5th Avenue. Rockefeller Center was the largest project financed by only one person in modern times. On the 54-56th floor the office of the Rockefeller family is located.






The art deco lobby of GE Bldg.


NBC Studios and Rainbow Room, a famous restaurant, are actually part of the GE Buildign. NBC is one of USA:s largest TV broadcasting companies and include the studio where Saturday Night Live is recorded. Top the right you can see the famous Radio City Music Hall.


The statue of Atlas is welcoming visitors on 5th Avenue. It is a famous art deco bronze sculpture by Lee Lawrie that was installed in 1937.


The Concourse with its Prometheus statue and waterfall underneath the ground. There are also restaurants and cafés on the concourse. This is where the famous ice rink and christmas tree is situated wintertime.




An exotic passage with palm trees leads to 5th Avenue. It is very popular by tourists. The Lego Store is next to it.


There are over 200 flagpoles at ground level. They represent UN countries and American states.




Radio City Music Hall from 1932 is the largest theater in the world, featuring stage theaters and movie theaters. The tours of the buildings among New York's most popular, but we didn't go. The interior is considered one of the world's greatest example of Art Deco architecture.


The NBC Store with its neon globe!


Rockefeller Center also features New York's largest underground city, invisible from above. There is only one elevator that takes you down there so it feels a bit like a secret city. The architecture of the underground city is pretty ugly, but the stores are exclusive and there is access to the observation deck Top of the Rock.










The LEGO store.


Rockefeller Center in LEGO.




Rockefeller Center's extention with its 4 international style skyscrapers built in the 1960s-70s on the west side of Avenue of the Americas. They consist of Time-Life Bldg, McGraw-Hill and News Corp/Fox News Bldgs and look similar to each other.






This nice waterfall is on the plaza in front of one of the modernist skyscrapers at Avenue of the Americas.

[Nightsky]

Originally Posted by Danny

Wonderful pictures, Nightsky! Thank you very much for this long and nice thread of NYC, the capital of the world!

Great photography! Thanks for the explanations.

It´s always great to visit NYC again, isn´t it? It´s unique.

Congratulations and greetings from Madrid, Spain!

Thanks! Yes I could visit New York many times, but next time I visit America I think it will be Chicago since I've never been there..
I think you remember my Madrid thread earlier this year, right?

[Crawford]

That was definitely a strange time in this part of the U.S., with the hurricane and earthquake. I can imagine you had lots of frustration as a visitor!

I especially like your interior shots, in places like the Plaza, Rock Center and the Waldorf. We don't see interior pics too much on SSP. Great job!

[John R]

This is a wonderful photo thread of New York. Thanks for posting and your pictures are fantastic. I've been there several times, and I need to get back soon. I was also fortunate in that I did visit the World Trade Center a few years before it came down. I really enjoyed the views from that observation deck.

[Nightsky]

Thanks! Yes, I was frustrated as a visitor, especially since we planned to go to Atlantic City and Boston and had to cancelled it because of the storm
It's so frustrating that hurricanes and earthquake happens once in a century and both happened the same week we were there...the weather is really crazy nowadays!

Btw, some pics of the new WTC/Ground Zero will follow later...

[Nightsky]

East 42nd Street
Midtown, Murray Hill, Tudor City

East 42nd St is a busy street in Midtown Manhattan that runs from 5th Avenue in the west to East river in the east. It features many classic buildings such as Grand Central Terminal, USA:s largest railway station, the legendary Chrysler Building. Lincoln Bldg, Ford Foundation and more. It crosses the famous avenues Lexington Ave, Park Ave and 5th Ave. To the south of the street is part of the neighboorhoods Murray Hill and Tudor City.


E 42nd St begins at Bryant Park, at the intersection of 5th Avenue. Looking towards Chrysler Bldg and Grand Hyatt.


E 42nd St begins at Bryant Park, at the intersection of 5th Avenue. The Swedish clothing store H&M now has several stores on Manhattan.







Chrysler Building, designed by William van Alen, was the world's tallest building for one year, 1930-31. It was surpassed by Empire State Building in 1931. Upon completion it beat the Eiffel Tower in height as the world's tallest structure. It is still the tallest brick building in the world. The top of the art deco building features a famous spire and a steel crown, that is inspired by the nave´s of Chrysler cars. The height to the top of the spire is 319m and it has 77 floors. Chrysler wanted the building to be the world's tallest, but they are no longer tenants in the building.


The building doesn't look sleak at all from below, in contrary to how it looks from the distance.


The entrance to Chrysler Bldg at Lexington Avenue.




The famous spire and steel crown at the top of Chrysler Bldg. The spire was secretly added in just 90 minutes after the building was completed, to prevent competitors from doing the same to create the world's tallest building.






The art deco lobby is clad in different marbles, onyx and amber.


Chrysler Bldg mirrored in Grand Hyatt.


Grand Central with Metlife and Chrysler Bldgs.

Grand Central Terminal

This is the world's largest railway station by number of platforms (it has 44). It is called terminal instead of station because all tracks end there. It features classic beaux-arts architecture, many decorations and is featured in many movies. It was designed by Warren & Wetmore. The terminal opened in 1913 replacing the old Grand Central Station. It was Grand Central, with most of its track underneath the ground, that lead to the construction of the north part of Park Avenue and its buildings. The station building is really huge and features many restaurants and stores. The 67 tracks are spread on 2 floors underneath the building. The skyscraper Metlife Bldg and The Grand Hyatt hotel are connected to Grand Central and Chrysler Bldg is very close.

There is a train platform, no 61, underneath the hotel Waldorf Astoria that was built to be secretly used by president Franklin D Roosevelt and is part of Grand Central Terminal! It features an elevator big enough for the president's limousine The reason for that was to prevent showing that the president got polio. The location of the platform is secret.


Grand Central Terminal and Grand Hyatt from E 42nd St.


The passage from E 42nd St leading to the Main Concourse.


Huge chandeliers and flags are decorating the terminal station. In 1998 a renovation revealed the original lustre of the Main Concourse's decorated astronomical ceiling. The original ceiling was probably replaced in the 1930s to correct falling plaster.




The huge Main Concourse is one of the most busy places in the world. It is hard to stand still there since everyone else is moving.






Old-style elevators of Grand Central, something you don't see every day.


The famous Oyster bar at Grand Central. There is a special construction so you can speak in one side of the vault and listen in the other.


All tracks are underneath the building. The reason for that was to save space and to decrease the amount of air pollution from the steam trains used back then. That lead to the construction of Park Avenue and its buildings.


Many police cars outside Grand Central train terminal.


Metlife Building, formerly Pan Am Building from 1963.


A bridge goes above E 42nd St to the station.


Lexington Avenue.


Socony-Mobil Building from 1956 has 42 floors and has a special textured tin facade. Opposite Chysler Bldg. in Murray Hill.



The striking shapes of a glass building.


Lincoln Building from 1930 is 205m tall and has 55 floors. The style is renaissance revival. Quotes from Lincoln's speeches can be found inside the lobby. It is part of Murray Hill neighboorhood. Vanderbilt Avenue is a short avenue just east of Grand Central.


Note the security camera sign and all the flags.


Chanin Building from 1929. 198m tall and 56 floors. World's 3rd tallest building when completed. Both on Murray Hill.


Chanin Building's lower floors is a nice example of 1920s art deco.


Bowery Savings Bank Building from 1923 is to the right. Chanin Bldg is to the left of it.


The Grand Hyatt. We went inside to relax a bit. The hotel has a nice atrium with a waterfall, but it was under refurbishment. The hotel was built as Commodore in 1909 already, but in 1980 it was transformed into a glass building where the original brick facade was kept behind the glass.


This is Grand Hyatt's glass enclosed bar that hangs over the street.








Murray Hill neighboorhood to the left.


Ford Foundation Building. This modernist buildilng from 1967 is only 12 floors high, but is famous for its very green atrium that features trees and a pool. It was designed by Kevin Roche and John Dinkeloo. It was originally office for Ford.






The green and plush 12-storey atrium of Ford Foundation Building is a nice place o relax.


The Daily News Building from 1930 is 145m tall. This classic 36-storey art deco building, a national landmark, was used as the Daily Planet Building in the Superman movies.


Tudor City.




View towards United Nations Building in the east end of 42nd Street.

[Nightsky]

Times Square
- Theater District, Broadway

Times Square, more like an intersection then a square, is the unofficial heart of the unofficial capital of the world, sometimes nicknamed "the crossroads of the world". It is the heart of the Theater District and the entertainment center of New York, it consists of about 14 blocks situated between 6th and 8th Avenue with Broadway intersection in Midtown Manhattan. Times Square, originally named after the New York Times that had their headquarters on the square, was once a dirty place filled with sex shops and obscure clubs, but today it is flashy with all its neon lights, advertizement and theaters. Many large hotels and restaurants are located at Times Square. Times Square, more an intersection then a square, is very crowded and many strange, sometimes funny people are entertining or trying to get people to the theaters, creating a feeling of a freakshow or an amusement park. Every New Years Eve there is a countdown to the new year, and they drop a crystal ball (formerly a neon apple) at the shift of the year. There is a famous webcam at Times Square. We visited Times Square several times, but it looks the most exciting after dark.


The south part of Times Square's heart at Broadway, filled with flashing neon advertizement. Note the crystal ball on top of the middle section, where you can see it is 2011! It will be dropped on New Years Eve. The building it is placed on is called One Times Square (formerly New York Times HQ that the square is named after), in front of the taller Times Square Tower.




The north part of Times Square's heart, officially called Duffy Square, also filled with flashing neon advertizement on Renaissance Hotel. Especially recognizable is the Coca-Cola sign.






7th Avenue, looking towads Marriott Marquis in the center of Times Square. Since 2009 parts of Times Square has been pedestrianized, these parts have been painted in blue or red. It is since 2011 also a smoke free zone.


Marriott Marquis, the most famous hotel at the heart of Times Square. The hotel is New York's 2nd largest (by no of rooms, it has 1 949) and has the tallest atrium in the world. Fast glass enclosed elevators take people fast to the top, where you can find a revolving bar. The hotel was designed by the famous architect John Portman and was completed in 1985. The Marquis Theater is situated inside the hotel, to compensate for the fact that 5 old theaters were demolished to make way for the hotel, that was the starting point for the redevelopment of the then rundown Times Square.




The world's tallest atrium (45 floors) inside Marriott Marquis. There is a partly similar Marriott Marquis in Atlanta.


Winter Garden that shows the Swedish "Mamma Mia!" ABBA musical.


Astor Place (left) is a 227 m tall skyscraper from 1972 that serves as the headquarters of Viacom, that owns MTV. Because of that many MTV shows take place inside the building. To the right is Marriott Marquis.


4 Times Square of Conde Nast Building is a 48-storey, 348 m tall (incl. mast) skyscraper completed in 2000. During my visit in 1998, I saw it u/c.


Times Square Tower (220m) to the left and Times Square Plaza (180m) to the right are both postmodern parts of the recent redevelopment of Times Square.


Bertelsmann Building, designed by the famous Skidmore, Owings and Merril, was built in 1990 and is 223m with the spire. It includes the original Planet Hollywood restaurant and the world's largest record store, Virgin Megastore until it closed in 2009.


A cool thing in Bartelsmann Bldg, above Forever 21 store (formerly Virgin Megastore, the world's largest record store), opposite Marriot Marquis: The girl on the huge screen "takes random pictures" of the people on the ground and shows it afterwards, if you are lucky you could be featured on the screen above Times Square. It is me and my girlfriend on the red ring!




Hard Rock Café. Inside you can find guitars by the members of The Beatles.


Hard Rock Café at Times Square is really big and features a museum.


Crowne Plaza is the tall postmodern hotel above the adds.




The original Planet Hollywood restaurant, in the Bertelsmann Building.




Times Square is like a freakshow with many crazy people, here a shouting man selling "Obama condoms"!




Nygård is a Finish-Canadian-Swedish fashion designer, making women's wear. It is Peter Nygård on the picture.


This is underneath the sign of a really large and flashy McDonald's that we visited. Note the unusual police car.

[Jimby]

Great thread! Too bad you had to cut your trip short because of Irene.
I'm going to New York in March so I'm excited about that as I haven't been there since our high school band played Bergenfield NJ!

[Nightsky]

Originally Posted by Jimby

Great thread! Too bad you had to cut your trip short because of Irene.
I'm going to New York in March so I'm excited about that as I haven't been there since our high school band played Bergenfield NJ!

Thanks! Yes, too bad with the hurricane. We had to cancel the daytrips to Boston and Atlantic City because of that. So you are a musician? Great!

[Nightsky]

And now we jump to Lower Manhattan:

The new World Trade Center

I visited the old WTC in 1998, but now in 2011 it was time to revisit the site to see the new WTC complex going up after the terror attack in 2001. You can read more about it here:
http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_WTC.html


One World Trade Center (formerly Freedom Tower) is the skyscraper u/c in the middle that will be 541m tall to the top of the spire, and have 105 floors, when completed. It is the only property that will be owned by Port Authority. To the right is the already completed 7WTC, that replaced the old 7WTC that collapsed on 10/11 -the day after, leading to expectations that there was bombs inside by conspiracy theories. The reasons it was completed already before the other ones were built it is that there was another owner, that didn't have to wait. The brown buildings with green roofs in the background belong to World Financial Center, a complex that was heavily damaged during 9/11, but have been repaired.


One WTC, u/c (completion 2014), and Seven WTC, completed in 2006, that is considered one of the greenest skyscrapers in the world.


World Financial Center, World Trade Center (1, 4 and 7).


Another version of the same picture.


Four World Trade Center. It was designed by Fumihiko Maki and will be the 4th tallest tower (297m) and will be completed in 2013.


4 WTC, some smaller buildings and Liberty Plaza.


Close-up of One WTC and Seven WTC.


The base of One WTC is designed to resist terror attacks, for example the concrete base will have almost no windows and will be blast resistant! It will later be covered with mirrors to prevent the fortress looking feeling.


The Millenium Hilton, just a few years old hotel in 2001, was also damaged during the attacks of 9/11.


Construction workers, working on the new World Trade Center. Behind the fence is 2 and 3 WTC u/c, but as off 2011 construction just begun.


How to get around Ground Zero.


The 9/11 memorial museum under construction.


The trees around the 2 9/11 memorials, that stand on the sites were the old WTC Twin Towers stood. The memorials feature waterfalls and was inaugurated just weeks after our visit. In the background is Federal Building from 1935 (the long one to the left), Barclay Building from 2007 (the white skyscraper) and Transportation Building from 1927.


Ten House Fire Station, just next to WTC.


FDNY Memorial Wall, a bronze wall that was a gift from a law firme, honouring the 6 firemen from Ten House and totally 343 firemen that lost their life on 9/11.


The burning WTC at the FDNY Memorial Wall at Ten House Fire Station.


"May we never forget". An honour to the firemen who lost their life, and the ones who got sick, on 9/11. In July 2006, a ceremony was held to open the memorial.


Skanska, a Swedish construction company originally from the area where I live, is working on parts of the WTC redevelopment!


Everywhere around the Ground Zero you can see the presence of the police.


down because of the damage, but survived. A building that was demolished however, was the Singer Building, that once was the world's tallest building. It stood on this site and was demolished in 1968. Before 9/11 the Singer Bldg was the tallest building that had been demolished!


St Paul's Chapel, situated just next to the WTC site, was just slightly damaged after the attacks, unlike the large Twin Towers!

St Paul's Chapel seen from Church Street.


Trinity Building from 1905. A beautiful 21-storey building with gothic architecture next to WTC. It was designed by Francis H. Kimball.


Century 21 is a department store with lower prices, that is situated just next to WTC/Ground Zero, but is less known as the more expensive ones on Midtown.


W Hotel, a newer skyscraper next to WTC.


The top of One WTC, taking shape. It has some floors left before topping out.


WTC PATH station, under construction. It was designed by Santiagao Calatrava, the architect who designed Turning Torso in Malmö. The design can be seen in the middle of the wall.


This is how the new One World Trade Center will look like when completed.


Looking up towards the future: One WTC and Four WTC.

[Nightsky]

This is just a summary of my WTC part pictures. The rest can be seen on this link:
http://www.worldtravelimages.net/New_York_WTC.html

And the old WTC pics from 1998:
http://www.worldtravelimages.net/NY_WTC.htm