Born in Brooklyn and living in Staten Island, I am proud to say that I am a native New Yorker. The trips and activities of a native are much different than those of a typical tourist. One common ground activity that everyone should experience is visiting the Freedom Tower, located at One World Trade Center, the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center.
The World Trade Center (WTC) was a 16-acre commercial complex in lower Manhattan that contained seven buildings, a large plaza, and an underground shopping mall that connected six of the buildings. The complex was destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. On this day, New York City, along with the rest of the country faced a tragedy that even time would not mend. During this attack, the two tallest buildings in the city were hit, The Twin Towers.
In October 2014, One World Trade Center opened officially. Originally known as the Freedom Tower, it was decided that the name was too radical, as American citizens always were/will be free and a building does not need to commemorate that, and One WTC would be more appropriate. However, the building is more commonly referred to as the Freedom Tower, so for the purposes of this article I will continue to use this name.
For the first time last week, I was lucky enough to finally view the One World Observatory. Here, I saw some of the most beautiful sights. One World Observatory uses three floors of the Freedom Tower to show off the extraordinary views that New York City has to offer. The experience begins with an elevator ride up to the 102 floor, one of the fastest elevators in the world. When you get on the elevator, you find yourself looking at a digital screen on all three walls. As you begin moving upward, time begins to progress, beginning in the 1500s, moving all the way up to 2016. Throughout this progression of time, you can see the building up of the New York City skyline. The link is available on Youtube, however I'm choosing not to tempt those interested in this experience by including direct links to spoilers!
When you get off of the elevator, you enter what is called the One World Theater, where you will see several featured clips of the highlights of New York City including riding the subway, overhead street views featuring an abundance of yellow taxi cabs, bridges, parks, Times Square, and many many others. The screen then rises up, revealing to you a sneak peak of what you are about to see -- the entirety of New York City.
After this, I proceeded to view a 360 degree view of my city that I am proud to call my home. The floor was labeled with the compass directions, so you knew which direction you were facing. There was something called a Sky Portal, where you are able to look down at the city streets on a digital video. I was able to spot every bridge, building, and even Staten Island from the breathtaking 360 degree view.
As a New Yorker, I am proud to call this city my home for more reasons than one. My father, being a retired New York City police officer, and my mother, once having worked in the World Trade Center, feel a different sense of pride. When I went home and told them of my adventures of the day, they did not deny that the building itself was beautiful, nor the views, however they wish that the original complex was still standing, and it will be a while before they can come to terms with the new memorial.
