New York City – World Trade Center e One World

Anyone who knows me knows the love relationship I have with Nova York.

The first city I wanted to visit in the United States was New York (NY). Every time I went there I had different interactions with the city, always on vacation, where each period I discovered a part of NY. Until the moment I moved there and had the opportunity to get to know the city more deeply.

Imagine I have a lot to share about the Big Apple! Even because, one of the characteristics of NY is that it is constantly changing. The city changes, neighborhoods change, new constructions appear all the time.

One of the places that underwent an incredible transformation (and continues to transform), since the first time I was there (2006), until the last (2017) is the area of old World Trade Center.

The attack on the Twin Towers had already happened a few years ago (2001), and the place was still surrounded, work on the foundations and basements is in progress. They set up on the work fence, a small memorial to the 9/11 with photo exhibition from the day of the attack. A St. Paul's Church (St. Paul’s Chapel of Trinity Church Wall Street), which is just a few meters from the place, there was an exhibition about the day, demonstrating how it served as a base for firefighters and volunteers who worked in the area of the attack.

In 2010 the square had already been opened. The swimming pools built in the area of the two towers were already ready and the Survivor Tree (surviving tree) had already been replanted in the square.

This tree – Callery Pereira – has a history of survival and has become a symbol of 9/11. It was located near the old World Trade Center, place where the towers collapsed. When removing the rubble, they found it burned., but alive and transplanted to a park in The Bronx while the work lasted. In this period, a storm occurred that ripped it from the ground. Replanted again, survived and returned to the original location representing the rebirth of the area.
THE One World Trade Center was opened in 2014, being the tallest building in the new complex and also in the United States. The Observatory (One World Observatory) It is at the top of the building and offers incredible experiences. The elevator goes up more than 100 floors in 60s with projections as if it were a panoramic elevator. On the main floor, the visitor has a 360˚ view and the breathtaking landscape. It's worth the visit! Depending on the time of year, and if you want to plan your visit time, try to buy tickets in advance via the website: https://oneworldobservatory.com.

THE 9/11 Memorial & Museum (www.911memorial.org) also worth a visit. The museum is underground and visitors can see: the foundations of the two towers, the staircase that took many survivors out of the building before the collapse; twisted pillars and beams of the structure, in addition to exhibitions that honor the survivors and tell the sequence of the events of that day. In this part I was a little anxious, because of seeing, listen to and read accounts from survivors, family members, recordings of firefighters and police officers who were there, and all this being underground… I don't know if I'll go back there again, my experience would be different.

Last time I was in NY, the construction called Oculus was already in full operation. This is the World Trade Center train terminal – the Path that goes to New Jersey, in addition to housing a shopping mall. Its high cost and execution time, generated a lot of controversy, but it is incredibly beautiful. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, some say it is shaped like a fishbone, others say it represents a phoenix; internally, its immense internal span brings integration with light and external space.

There is no doubt that it is NY's newest tourist attraction!

Don't stop going!!