Westchester Square

On my last day in NYC, I found myself traveling further uptown to Westchester Square.
My Metro Card still had some residual funds left on it, so what better way to use it up than taking my last train ride.

Westchester Square is another little shopping area in the center of Westchester, East Tremont and Lane Avenues.
Leaving the train station you come upon a nice little park known as the Owen F. Dolen Park which is the home of two interesting items.

 Owen F. Dolen Park

 In 1925, Owen F. Dolen, a well-respected educator in his community was asked to speak at a ceremony in the park to unveil a new monument dedicated to the neighbourhood soldiers who died in World war I. The park was then known as Westchester Square.
He had spearheaded the campaign to have the memorial monument placed at the square.
After a rousing 25 minute speech, he bowed to the crowd, sat down and died of a heart attack.
The park was renamed the Owen F. Dolen park in his memory.

The 15 foot  granite pylon honouring the Westchester residents who served in World War I.

The inscription on the memorial states thus: "To perpetuate in grateful remembrance the sacrifice, heroism and devotion of the men and women of the old town of Westchester who in the World War answered the call of their country that justice and righteousness should not perish." 
The inscription on the north and south sides states: "They died in the service of their country" followed by an alphabetical list of those who died in World War I.
The west side of the memorial lists the battles at which those being remembered lost their lives.
Read more here.

A beautiful green space in the middle of a busy town

An interesting sculpture also resides in the park.

The Seat

"The Seat" is a sculpture made by New York City artist David Saunders and erected in 1987.
This sculpture is a 4-foot high bronze chair, decorated with a laurel wreath and stars and stripes on the back.
Under the chair is an open dictionary with a page depicting "Common Birds of America."
It is mounted on a boulder engraved with wild  boars.

You may read more about The Seat here.

The stores were already filled with Halloween decorations.  I made the acquaintance of the chap below as I entered the pharmacy to purchase some of my daughter's favorite candy.

He tried to scare me as I walked by with a howl of laughter, but it didn't phase me at all....sorry old chap.

Miniature pumpkins and gourds in all shapes and sizes for Fall decor

It was getting late in the day, and I needed to finish off my packing.  Time to leave Westchester Square.

The train tracks and the station are above ground, and while waiting for the train back downtown, I had the opportunity to look around the town from up on high.
 I also found myself wondering about the train tracks and how much work must have gone into forging the pieces back in the olden days....what a feat.

Here it comes

A few stops later, I was entering my favourite West Indian Market.

A necessary stop to purchase the last of my items to travel home with me.
I then spent the evening laughing, talking, eating, watching tv, packing, weighing my suitcase, and generally gearing up for my trip back to Barbados.

One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center, formerly known as the Freedom Tower will be completed 10 years after the laying of the first cornerstone back on July 4th, 2004.
It is now the tallest building in the US with its spire at 1,776 feet, a symbolic tribute to the year of the US Declaration of Independence.
Designed by architect David Childs, it will include an observation deck, office and retail space and world-class restaurants.

One World Trade Center

A view from the Staten Island ferry

Soaring above the city, the building is nearing completion with a 2014 opening date on the horizon.
It is located at 72 Vessey Street, at the northwest corner of the World Trade Center complex.
With its $3.9 billion dollar price tag, it features a smaller cubic base and is set further back from the street to protect it from future attacks.
Made of impermeable concrete and steel, it rises from its square base and tapers into eight tall isosceles triangles, which form a perfect octagon at the center.
There is an observation deck at 1,362 feet above ground and a parapet at the height of the original Twin Towers (1,368 feet.)

One World Trade Center

The 3rd tallest building in the world (by pinnacle height)

Workmen scaffolding still adorns the outside

104 stories high with 5 basement floors

Lots of other buildings in the World Trade Center complex

.....but.......

though impressive......they pale in comparison

Work in progress as seen from the 9/11 Memorial

A closer view of the scaffolding

 On May 10th this year, the final piece of the antenna spire was lifted into place.
According to a Huffingtonpost.com article, "Building experts dispute whether the pinnacle is an antenna, a crucial distinction in measuring the building's height.
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, a Chicago-based organization considered an authority on such records, says an antenna is something simply added to the top of a tower that can be removed. By contrast, a spire is something that is part of the building's architectural design.
If it didn't have the spire, 1 World Trade Center would be shorter than the Willis Tower in Chicago, which stands at 1,451 feet and has the title of tallest building in the U.S., not including its antennas. The world's tallest building, topping 2,700 feet, is in Dubai.
The twin towers were about 1,360 feet tall, not including the antenna on one of them.
The spire at 1 World Trade Center will serve as a television and radio antenna, and it will feature an LED-powered light that will be visible from tens of miles away, said Scott Rechler, the vice chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which owns the lower Manhattan trade center site. The light, which will change colors, is to be activated in the next few months."
 More info on the spire here.

From the ashes........

The inscription on the final beam signed by President Obama says it all
"We remember, We rebuild, We come back stronger!" 

Here is an interesting time lapse video of the building construction.
I found these photos captivating at this site.
More info here.

9/11 Memorial

Tuesday the 24th.
Two more days to go, and then it would be time to leave.  I couldn't think of returning home without visiting the 9/11 Memorial. 
Here we go, back on the train....this time we have to transfer to the E train at 51st Ave and ride it to the last stop.
I wasn't sure how my emotions would hold up visiting the memorial, but I felt the need to go.

September 11, 2001, a day I will never forget.  It was a Tuesday morning, when 19 terrorists hijacked four commercial planes, crashing two into the Twin Towers (8.46am the first plane struck the north tower), another into the Pentagon, and the other in western Pennsylvania.  A total of 2,977 people were killed, including more than 400 first responders who died performing their duty.   So many innocent lives lost....so tragically.
I must pre-warn you.....I took over 100 photos, but I won't show them all here....just enough to tell my story...I promise you.

I didn't have to ask for directions to this landmark.  All I did was follow the other tourists as they made their way there.

On the way, I passed the FDNY memorial wall at the FDNY Ten firehouse across the street from where the World Trade Center once stood.
A six-foot high bronze bas-relief dedicated to the 343 firefighters who gave their lives that day in an effort to save others is fastened to the exterior wall of the firehouse. 

  "Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on. May we never forget."

 Bronze Memorial Wall Plaque dedicated to the fallen firefighters

 The immense sculpture traces the timeline of the attacks from the impact of the planes to the completion of recovery efforts at the site.

It was hard to capture, since there were many visitors who were trying to take photos as well.

Image borrowed from Google images to give an idea of the complete plaque.

“Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on. May we never forget.” 
On either side firefighters are depicted laying out hoses, washing their faces at a hydrant along with a poignant scene of a weary firefighter reaching skyward.
The central panel shows the flaming towers after they were struck.
The plaque is fifty-six feet long.

 Read more here.

The construction of the One World Trade Center and the complex still continues, and the way to the memorial is down a covered and enclosed walkway snaked around the construction site.

Lots of security was evident all around, and several security and screening checkpoints were in place just like at the airport.

 Many informational reminders along the walkway.


There is a long line and only a certain number of visitors are allowed in to the memorial at a time, so it does not become overcrowded.

 There is no set fee, and donations must be placed in the jar ($5.00 and up) before a Visitor Pass is issued.
More security checkpoints, and then after a walk through a barricaded area, you emerge into a lovely park surrounded by buildings and skyscrapers, including the new One World Trade Center.

The Twin Towers of the World Trade Center  are no more, but they have been replaced by two memorial pools that have been set in the footprints of the original Twin Towers....exactly where they stood.
Through an international design competition with designs from 63 countries, the design by Michael Arad and Peter Walker was chosen for the Memorial.  It was opened on the 10th year of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. 
The memorial pools (North and South) are comprised of thirty foot waterfalls (the largest in North America) which cascade into the pool and then descend into a center void. The names of the victims are inscribed on the bronze edges of the pools.

I have tried as best as I could not to include the names of the fallen in my photos as a mark of respect.

Surrounding buildings reflected in the water of the pools

Detail of the pools

The engraved names are on the outer edges, then a tray of still water which then disappears over the side 30 feet below into the void in the middle.

As expected, there were several loved ones visiting and paying their respects to those lost in the tragedy.

Roses and flags adorned the names of loved ones

Interactive Memorial Guides

to help you find your way around and to locate the names on the pools.

Plan of the 9/11 Memorial Pools

 
The North Pool is dedicated to:
World Trade Center North (1,470 names)
February 26, 1993 (6 names)- bombing in below ground garage
Flight 11 - American Airlines (87 names)

The South Pool is dedicated to:
First Responders (441 names)
World Trade Center South (695 names)
Flight 93 - United Airlines (40 names)
Flight 77 - American Airlines (59 names)
Pentagon (125 names)
Flight 175 - United Airlines (60 names)

 

Detail of the names on the South Pool

All of the trees in the Memorial Park are swamp white oaks. There is one exception however....The "Survivor Tree."
The tree was planted near the eastern edge on the original World Trade Center Plaza in the 70's.
After the attacks, it was reduced to an 8ft tall stump.  After being nursed back to health, it was returned to the WTC site and positioned a little way from the south pool, a true testimony of the importance of resilience and survival.

They were busy working on the 9/11 Memorial Museum, which will open in Spring 2014.

The Memorial Museum is located seven stories underground, and will tell the story of the 9/11 attacks in the debris recovered from the site afterwards.
In the footprint of the North Tower will be a memorial exhibition which will include artifacts like the Survivor's Staircase" (folks used the stairs to run to safety), as well as the intact shell of Engine 21 fire engine.
In the footprint of the South Tower will be an historical exhibition which will also feature oral histories from survivors and first responders, as well as mementos from the Twin Towers.

 

I took a quick peep through the multi-faceted windows to view the progress.

An interesting video about the Memorial Museum here.

 

There are lots of stories circulating the internet indicating that the terrorist attacks were a US government conspiracy.  I for one would hate to think that this is true. To offer up so many innocent lives just to satisfy a need to show authority in the world is beyond my comprehension.