MeganMcDonald

My boyfiend and I are visiting NYC the first long weekend in August and would like to visit ground zero. How would you recommend we do that? We will be staying in TS. Tour? Subway and just walk around ourselves? Is there much to see there anymore? Museum? Thanks!

chadnycity

First, there is a preference that it not be referred to as "Ground Zero". "World Trade Center" is better. Luckily, that is also the name of the subway station on the A,C, or E "Chambers St./World Trade Center" (blue PS--NEVER refer to a subway by color) line, which all stop there. The 2 and 3 (red) stop there also at Park Place station.

When you arrive, you'll exit onto Church Street, walk South so that the Hilton Millenium is on your left. It's right across the street from Century 21 on Church Street.

As far as museums, there really aren't many right in the area, but it is close to Wall Street (Bull), Trinity Church, Southstreet Seaport (opposite direction).

bachslunch

As of now, this is just a huge construction site. There isn't much to see that's of interest -- essentially, this is pretty much a walk-by as of now.

Nearby St. Paul's does have a nice memorial exhibit for 9/11 what's worth seeing, and one damaged sculpture from the site now sits in nearby Battery Park.

panecott

>>>Nearby St. Paul's does have a nice memorial exhibit for 9/11 what's worth seeing, and one damaged sculpture from the site now sits in nearby Battery Park. >>>

In addition, there is a small museum about the WTC and the attacks on Liberty Street, which is at the south end of the site. It is well worth seeing.

nyer

Many people here including the media DO refer to the area as Ground Zero. I respect the opinion of those who prefer to call it something else, I just don't want you to think that you've have said something really inappropriate or something people in NY won't understand.
No there isn't much to see--but isn't that the point?
Come pay your respects and if you have been to NYC before and remember what once was, see how things have changed so much.

Froderick

I haven't been to St Paul's since thanksgiving 2001, but think that would really be where I would go. If I remember correctly that is where they brought the body of Mychal Judge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mychal_Judge

SueNYC

You last place to visit is just North of St Pauls on Vesey Street. There is now an exhibit called Build the Memorial. It is free but the proceeds from anything you buy there go to the Memorial

bigbomoho

we were just there last week--St Pauls Chapel is a very emotional site--go there and walk thru the graveyard.Then walk over to Two World Finincial center,which you get to by going into 0ne Financial center.Its about 3 stories above the WTC site,and its inside so its A/C.When you go into the One building,ask the person sitting there how to get to SouthwestNY restaurant and theyll get you by the windows.Then after your viewing,go to that restaurant, its outside under cypress trees overlooking the Hudson, with a great unobstructed view of the river,and very fairly priced

MeganMcDonald

I did not mean to offend anyone by stating "Ground Zero.. I will def check out St Paul's Thanks!

chadnycity

No worries, happens all the time. St. Paul's is quite beautiful and I second the World Financial Center (WFC) suggestion, which is on the opposite side of the World Trade Center site (from Century 21). While you're there you can continue west toward the Hudson river and Battery Park. if you follow the path, you can see the Statue of Liberty, the Verrazano Bridge, a Japanese garden, a charming tribute to the Irish Potato Famine (features one stone selected and sent by each county in Ireland). Walk a little further along the walkway and you'll catch a great view of the Empire State Building. All the while you can observe sailboats and very large yachts along the river.

PS--it's also a great place to people-watch and picnic.

Aduchamp1

In the topic below is a discussion about the use of the term Ground Zero.

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-must-sees.cfm

jroth

As a life long native New Yorker I have to note that I have never run into any local resident who took umbrage at the use of the term - ground zero. In fact, it's commonly used and I am not sure why anyone finds the use of that term somewhat offensive or incorrect. In fact, it is more accurate than - World Trade Center - since that no longer exists. The term originates from the atom bombs dropped on Japan in WWII - and Wikipedia also in describing the term's origin documents its use in conjuction with 9/11.

chadnycity

Look I don't want to make a big deal of this. I said it was a preference. As a fellow "lifelong NY'er" who was personally affected by it (and perhaps you were too), I and many others I know prefer to refer to it as the World Trade Center rather than Ground Zero. In fact, construction on the new 7 WTC building was completed 2 years ago and the foundation has been laid for both the memorials and the Freedom Tower. I don't know what your perspective or history is jroth, but to many other NY'ers, it does elicit a grimace.

chadnycity

PS--for the benefit of Megan, it would also elicit directions. We're a pretty friendly bunch, even when we have disparate views.

K_brklyn

There use to be an indoor bridge that connected WTC and WFC next to those windows that are now considered the "best view" of the construction site. The bridge is now outdoors but follows a similar path to the original bridge. Very eerie feeling.

The steps/windows also use to be a popular spot for taking wedding pictures. On the WTC side you'd enter the WTC near the US Customs bldg, then walk into a wide lobby with flags of various countries, then into a mall like area between the two towers. This was a very busy corridor during the week.

The experience begins when you get off of the train to visit the construction site: The A/C/E and the 2/3 kept most of their original mapping (including the eyeball murals), so walking towards the exits are the same as they were when the bldgs were up. The E train ended/started at the doors of the WTC. The Cortland stop on the R train,stopped under the WTC, with an exit that led directly into the WTC. So imagine the feeling of something seeming so familiar, and expecting to walk into the WTC like you did hundreds of time, but it is now so very different.

The fill material used to build the WFC came from dirt excavated during the building of the WTC.

Not sure of the connection between the graveyard at St Paul's and the WTC. The graveyard was always there. St Paul's played a significant role in the emergency response.

The emergency response center for the entire City was housed in the WTC. There was also a bridge that connected 7 WTC to 1 & 2 WTC's plaza- The Sphere by Fritz Koenig -which many people refer to as the "globe" is now in Battery Park.

WTCs also had some amazing original artwork that was lost from artists like Rodin, Romeare Bearden, Miro, Roy Lichtenstein, hundreds of photographs of JFK's presidency, Masayuki Nagare and Alexander Calder to name a few. One of my favorite things to do on the weekend growing up was to look through a lot of this artwork.

The home of the Heisman trophy used to be near the WTC at the Downtown Atlantic Club.

I could go on and on...

travelbuff

I happened to be downtown on Saturday and walked up Boadway from Battery Park to City Hall. I played tourist bit, stopping in Battery Park to see the "globe" and the eternal flame.

Then walked up Broadway to Trinity Church and walked around the graveyard, and found some interesting sites, like Alexander Hamilton's grave and his wife, and Robert Fulton's grave. Lots of grave sites dating back to the 1700's and of course many of the stones are no longer readable.

From there I walked up toward the Merrill Lynch Building and Century 21 and was astonished to see how high the building is at the World Trade Center. I'm guessing that it is about 10 stories tall already in framework, so it really is no longer Ground Zero, but the building is litterally rizing from the ashes. I think we should be calling it the Phoenix Center now instead.

I have to say I had many a teary hour or so wandering the area, remembering that awful day, and to see the buildig now rising made my heart finally start to heal.

St. Paul's still has an exhibit, not nearly as large as just after 9/11, and some of the benches have been left as they were, scared by the boots and hardware of the first responders as they got some rest between shifts.

I am so looking forward to the opening of the new center, in I think 2013. Not that will be a time to celebrate, and reflect.

POMAH

WTC also had a Helen Keller museum with artifacts. As for JFK photos, unless the negatives were stored at the same place, nothing to worry about. I am sure no morone would store such historical negs down there; I am sure they are at The Smithsonian or in a fridge in a nuclear proof bunker.
Bill Gates built a bunker in a mountain to store historical photos and negatives and film.

Ryan

Please do not buy anything from the vipers who sell 9/11 photographs, memorabalia, etc around St. Paul's.

If you care to see a more poignant memorial to understand the ongoing ramifications I might suggest walking past the firehouse on 48th and 8th, near Times Square. It's one of the several firehouses in the city that lost multiple members. 15 in this case.

K_brklyn

JFK's negatives (negatives-not photos-my mistake, 40,000 of them) were either destroyed or lost (theories are plentiful). They were in the Chase Vault in the WTC. So Jacques Lowe (the subject of the "I'm sure no morone would..." line) stored them in the vault because it was close to his home and he felt that they would be safer in the vault. The vault was impressive.

More on the story here:
http://www.jacqueslowe.com/lost_negatives.php

Presidential transportation routes and plans for the City were also stored at the WTC. WTC was considered one of the most secured places in NYC-that's why it was chosen as the central emergency command center for all of the City.

It will definitely be an emotional event in 2013.

michelleNYC

I echo chadnycity and Ryan (re: the firehouse AND those awful "people" selling crap down at the site). Although every 9/11 is emotional (at least it is for me and my husband who lost friends), I think the 9/11/11 is going to be a tremendously emotional "event". Cannot believe it will be 10 years. Seems like yesterday.