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New York City Blog
My personal collection of articles about the Big Apple!
One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years. Tom Wolfe
The old boardwalk, Dec 1999One of the most beautiful spots in the World !
The openings of the Brooklyn and the Manhattan Bridges, plus the rise of trucking and railway transportation, originally spelled doom for the bustling waterfront that made Brooklyn an international shipping hub in the 19th century. But by the ‘60s, much of the shipping activity had stopped and the park was opened in 1978 at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Today, nine acres of grass have replaced the gravel and dirt that covered the site a century ago. An expansive wooden boardwalk, built in 2002, now stands where piers once were, although two hulking warehouses serve as reminders of the site’s industrial heritage. Several tall trees and the Brooklyn Bridge provide shade for the sun-weary. On clear days, the park offers picturesque vistas of Lower Manhattan across the East River.
Aerial view, March 2001The World Trade Center
Height: 1,368 and 1,362 feet (417 and 415 meters)
Owners: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Architect: Minoru Yamasaki, Emery Roth and Sons consulting
Engineer: John Skilling and Leslie Robertson of Worthington, Skilling, Helle and Jackson
Ground Breaking: August 5, 1966
Opened: 1970-73; April 4, 1973 ribbon cutting
Destroyed: September 11, 2001
The World Trade Center was more than its signature twin towers: it was a complex of seven buildings on 16-acres, constructed and operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ).
The towers, One and Two World Trade Center, rose at the heart of the complex, each climbing more than 100 feet higher than the silver mast of the Empire State Building.
One World Trade CenterOne World Trade Center 
, abbreviated as 1 WTC and commonly known by its previous name Freedom Tower, is the lead building of the new World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City.
The 104-story supertall skyscraper is being constructed in the northwest corner of the 16-acre World Trade Center site, occupying the location where the original 8-story 6 World Trade Center once stood. The building is bounded to the west by West Street, to the north by Vesey Street, to the south by Fulton Street, and to the east by Washington Street.
Construction on below-ground utility relocations, footings, and foundations for the building began on April 27, 2006.
The tower's steel structure topped-out on August 30, 2012, and work is currently underway on its spire. At the time of its completion (check out the rendering) in 2013, One World Trade Center will be the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere and the third-tallest building in the world by pinnacle height, with its spire reaching a symbolic 1,776 feet (541.3 m) in reference to the year of American independence. It has been the tallest building in New York City since April 30, 2012.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park is now a reality!
The beginnings have already become a treasured urban oasis. Offering spectacular views of downtown Manhattan and the New York Harbor, Pier 1, Pier 6, the Brooklyn Bridge Park "Main Street lot," and Empire-Fulton Ferry section of the park have attracted thousands of visitors. These park sections are the setting for our programs and events, as well as picnics, ball play, daydreaming and much more.
Over 20 years of community advocacy to transform the piers below the Brooklyn Heights Promenade into a vibrant waterfront park are paying off. Construction of Phase 1 began in winter 2008. Pier 1 opened to the public March 2010 and Pier 6 opened June 2010. 66% of the park is slated to be complete by 2013.