bkw

well, it looks as if they've chosen a design.

at first none of the designs seemed good enough to occupy the vast area where the towers once stood, but after yesterdays decision and after viewing the model, i believe that they made the right choice. i like the design, and the economic rationality of the design makes sense rather than the uninhabitable two shell like towers.

im also pleased to see that they're keeping the 'bathtub' as a integral part of the design with the walls intact. this way generations to come will be able to see exactly how large of a area the two towers took up, and see exactly what kind of damage hate can do. as for the office building to be the tallest building ever, that's like building a 1000' middle finger pointing towards the middle east. we're a cocky nation, and to me it seems as if this building presents itself as a large bullseye for the people who hate us to knock down again. i hope that this never happens.

it's been well over 2 years since 9-11, and i still have nightmares about that frightful morning. the sounds of jet engines roaring overhead as the terrorists gunned the motors as they aimed at the towers, then the dead silence. the smoke, fire, then the panic as the south tower collapsed will forever be etched into my memory. my life has totally changed since then, the loss of my job in the wtc, and my new job here across the river.. things havent been as 'good' since then, but i'm staying alive. every morning from my window here at my new job across the river in jersey city i see where the towers once stood, and i reminisce about the events that morning.. if i wouldve been on time or just a little early that morning, theres a very good possibility that i would not be here today. i look at the gaping hole in the skyline and i say a short prayer for my friends and companions that never made it out. just this morning i heard a plane that sounded like it was flying a tad low, and i jumped out of bed with my heart racing.

nyc will never be the same. last week as i was travelling across the triboro in the suv, i was flagged down, searched, and was made to wait 40 minutes for no apparent reason. i did not complain at the time, and i felt pretty good that the police were really searching hard. but the longer i sat there, the more i felt like they really didnt care, and the whole search thing was just an act to make it seem like they were checking. my parents own a string of beauty supply stores in queens/bklyn and they asked me to head up to whiteplains to pick up some merchandise. all the boxes were sealed, and they were filled with jars of relaxer and hair gel. im sure if they wouldve opened the box they wouldve been at least curious at the contents of each jar, but they never did. before i left, i noticed that they flagged down a ryder truck and they let him pass without him even opening the bed!

don't even get me started on the soldiers next to the gwb with m16's sleeping in their hummers..

let us live on with our lives to the fullest, and never forget what happened here. one of these days, i'll go down there, but not in the near future.

god bless you all,
brian

turbo_pwr

I agree with your sentiments. Except 9-11-01 was less then 2 years ago. But I got your point.

Dex9

Dear Brian, Thanks for the courage to bring up what is obviously a difficult issue and for reminding us as much as we love our cars what's really important is something greater...with all the talk of terrorism and stepped up war hype it's hard not to be reminded of that terrible day. I had just ordered my '02 the day before, and was stuck out on the island where I used to work when the planes hit. My brother had just left the building, and returned hours (2 weeks straight) later to help get the exchange back on line (fiber optic). I'm an architect, and have mixed feelings about the whole reconstruction thing. Also, I still have the chills driving back into the Bronx over the Whitestone when I see the planes landing (I can't help but think of them as missiles) and the emptiness where the Towers once stood. After the surreal week of quiet and thundering F-16's I almost canceled my order. But one of the reasons I got the car was I thought of all those dreams that passed that day and life is too short & fragile to wait. I've always wanted a roadster since I was 17 (25 yrs ago) when my buddy saved and bought himself a '74 MGB and took me for rides in it (he still has it - only w/ a Rover V-8 transplant). Between jobs, life, wife, practicality, etc the time never seemed right...but now that I have the s2k I savor every moment behind the wheel, 20 k in 14 months. It's not the most important thing in my life (it's still just a thing) but it transports me to a special place every time I take her out for a spin. The winter of 2001 was mild and I drove with a frozen grin top down whenever it was 40/45 or higher...really therapeutic. It may sound corny but sometimes I think I have an obligation to live to the max, my car and history intertwined. Strangely, I almost got a chance to work for the 'Think' team (Miss runner up - the abstract towers; we can debate the architectural merits another time) in the rebuild - now that would've been really weird! Anyway, a time of reflection and catharsis...Dex9

airgate

What design did they choose?

PokS2k

Here is the link

Dex9

This week's New Yorker magazine has some good insight into the selection process and what might happen next - check it out.

airgate

Thanks Jim.

As for the design, I don't like it one bit. I think they should have rebuilt the towers on the opposite sides of where the "original" tower foundations were. Keep those foundations sacred and use those as a memorial. Tower A's "original" foundation would be the memorial for all who lost their lives that horrible day. Same for tower B's "original" foundation. Then, as a tribute to those who lost their lives and for the freedom and endurance of our country, rebuild the towers.

aceprince

http://www.renewnyc.com/plan_des_dev/wtc_s...ides/slide2.asp


this link provides some better pictures on how it should look. Its indeed very interesting to see. I am not a huge fan of the design, for personally, i think they should reconstruct the towers just as they were and add some sort of memorial in that area. However, our precious skyline does need repair so if this is the solution, so be it.

-anu

nine grand

I'm glad to see that the site will be built up again. Though it is hallowed ground we must rebuilt or we've been beaten. It's forward progress, we need to continue on. I personally don't really care for the new design. When I saw the seven finalists in Newsday a few months ago, this design wasn't on my short list. Maybe it will be more striking in person. Only time will tell if this was a good idea. It will never be the same, you'll never have the same feeling that you had when crossing the Verazano at night and the towers loomed off in the distance. Bastards