Went to New York City over the Weekend

[DizzyT]

I hadnt been there since 9/9/01 for a Yankees game. We took a subway down to Brooklyn and walked over the bridge into Manhattan. Since I live in CT, I am not as used to the skyline as are native New Yorkers but since I had taken that route before it was eery to walk and not see the Towers. There were 7 of us there and we got as close as we could to the site of the disaster. Couldnt really see much. They had it all blocked off. Not that I wanted to gawk at the burial grounds of so many people but I just wanted to get a true sense of what it was like to have to live, work, function around all of the devastation that the locals have to deal with day in and out. People had warned me of the smell and at first I thought it was just like Crushed cement but as I got closer it became something truly sickening. I wouldnt say that it was the stench of death as others have called it but something that was not good. I did see a few buildings that looked as if they had been damaged to the point of destruction. One facing the street we were on ( I believe it was Broadway and the blocks heading to the actual site was blocked) and one down one of the streets that you could see from the walking area. It looked as if it were a 40 ft building at one time but now it was just a shell with metal beams bent down resembling a claw hanging over the street below. It was very sad. A very different aura as well. Not that I've experienced true friendliness in that town before this, but people did not seem as rude as I have experienced in the past (not meant to slam all from NY - just a general opinion that I have from past experiences of a lot of shop-owners).

[Thunder]

crazy...i'm going to be visiting New York during Thanksgiving. A bunch of friends planned this fun NY trip a while ago...we were going to party party party...but after 9/11, I'm not sure if we'll be doing the partying we first planned on doing. We wanted to visit the area around the WTC to grieve and leave our condolences...how close can we get to the site?

[Butch]

I was at Ground Zero over the weekend also. It was the first time I'd ventured down that way since everything happened. We took a look from all the vantage points. By far, the best (and most sobering) view was looking North up Washington Street. It's also the least touristy of the vantage points since it's not the most easily accessible. From Washington Street, you look straight up to the shell of the South Tower. From pretty much all other vantage points, you mostly see just the remains of Tower 7.

It frustrated the hell out of me to see all the tourists all over the place taking tons of pictures (Like they could do better than the photojournalists who have documented the site) . . . and even worse were all the asses peddling their wares . . . pictures of the WTC, cheap US Flags, US Flag pins, T-Shirts, etc . . . tasteless.

[Thunder]

Originally posted by Butch

It frustrated the hell out of me to see all the tourists all over the place taking tons of pictures (Like they could do better than the photojournalists who have documented the site) . . . and even worse were all the asses peddling their wares . . . pictures of the WTC, cheap US Flags, US Flag pins, T-Shirts, etc . . . tasteless.

yes...this stuff is really getting out of hand...some of it is so ugly!!!!

[zenbooty]

Originally posted by Butch
And even worse were all the asses peddling their wares . . . pictures of the WTC, cheap US Flags, US Flag pins, T-Shirts, etc . . . tasteless.

Hey, some of those people hocking wares had decent jobs once before the attack destroyed where they worked. Some of those people still can't go home because its been blocked off for a month. Don't be down on people for just trying to make a living. Most people can't survive long in Manhattan without some kind of steady income.

[Butch]

Have you been there to see it? If not, I would not make assumptions about what they were doing before doing this. I would be willing to bet my next pay check that 99% of them were people who, days before, were selling crap on 5th Ave to tourists, then realized there was a better racket to be had by hawking their crap to tourists down by Ground Zero.

[Kenas]

Pass by that place every day, the smell gets worse every day. It does smell like something burning (I think they are cutting the metal pieces) but now it just gives me headache.

[Nija]

Originally posted by Kenas
Pass by that place every day, the smell gets worse every day. It does smell like something burning (I think they are cutting the metal pieces) but now it just gives me headache.

isn't there supposed to be some huge fire burning underneath all the rubble?

Also.. what kind of smell would u expect from two huge buildings, two jetliners, and thousands of people.....?

Nija

[DizzyT]

Originally posted by Nija


isn't there supposed to be some huge fire burning underneath all the rubble?

Also.. what kind of smell would u expect from two huge buildings, two jetliners, and thousands of people.....?

Nija

You're right, what kind of smell would u expect. Well, i guess after over a month now I wasnt expected such a strong stench from as far away as it was. As I said, I had been told about the smell but couldnt grasp it before going.

I didnt even bring my camera. I wish I had seen the view down Washington Street as you had pointed out Butch but not knowing my way around enough, and not having any bearings in the hords of gawkers I dont even know what the hell I was looking at. I just wanted to put some perspective to all of the photos.

Thunder, I would still go if I were you. The whole state is not in mourning. Yes, it is a sobering period to walk by Ground Zero (how close can you get? Well, I cant say if it was 4 blocks or 40 since the area of destruction spans so much distance and all I could really see was what I described) but other than that leaving the state/city due to their loss will only make our economic situation worse off than the damage that they did by destroying our buildings and lots of people.