STL DPB IN NEW YORK - IN MEMORIAM

At least for me, one of the most gut-wrenching features of the current World Trade Center is the pair of memorial pools in the precise shape and location of the Twin Towers. They fall down from sidewalk level with waterfalls on all sides into a shallow basin, which then empties into a smaller and seemingly bottomless central pit. Around the edges, black marble is engraved with the names of those who died on 9/11, the recesses colored gold. Here and there, the living tucked paper flowers bound with twist ties into the spaces.            

STL DPB IN NEW YORK - INSIDE THE OCULUS

First off, I found that I have been misspelling the name of this building for the last couple of posts. One C, not two.

The view is from a balcony, symmetrical to the one in the background. It feels like you are inside of a space ship - cathedral, or possibly within Moby Dick's rib cage. It was a cloudy day and the upper reaches were a cool gray. There are two levels of shops beneath, whose interior lights send a warm glow. The far background leads to a transit hub with several subway lines and the PATH trains (Port Authority Trans Hudson) trains to New Jersey.          

STL DPB IN NEW YORK - 1 WTC AND THE OCCULUS

After returning from Ellis Island, the group went a short way north to the World Trade Center complex. After the tragedies of 9/11. the tower of 1 World Trade Center now dominates downtown. Below it is an amazing piece of architecture called the Occulus, containing a shopping center and major transit hub. I think we'll come back to more of that.            

STL DPB IN NEW YORK - ELLIS ISLAND

From 1855 to 1890, immigration to the United states was controlled by the individual states. About 8 million people passed through a station at the lower tip of Manhattan, likely including my grandparents, coming from Ireland and Poland.  Ellis Island in New York harbor was the point of arrival for most immigrants to the United States from 1892 until 1954. 12 million people would enter the U.S. through it. https://www.statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/overview-history/

Our photography group went to Ellis Island but did not visit the main museum. You can go on a tour with a guide of the old, abandoned hospital. It is in various states of decay and restoration, mostly the former. A French artist who goes by simply JR has created haunting photo-montages on the walls and windows, drawn from images of the arriving, hopeful people. https://www.jr-art.net/projects/unframed-ellis-island-usa-2014 Back then, this country wanted immigrants to populate our vast spaces. Clearly, that is no longer the case.             

STL DPB IN NEW YORK - VIEW FROM A BRIDGE

One of the photo group's activities was to walk across the Manhattan Bridge from Chinatown, at least part of the way. I got separated from the group and went all the way to Brooklyn, my back on the verge of crumbling. One of my colleagues, much fitter than I, made the same mistake and got me back across safely. We considered getting an AirTag to put in my pocket so the leaders could find me if I got lost again.

This is the view to the south from the start of the path on the Manhattan side. The lettering was on the top of an old building beside the bridge. No idea what it means.