Lunch at the New World Trade Center 7

On 21 Jan 2010, I was invited to lunch at the new World Trade Center Tower 7 in Manhattan. It took the E-train at the Forest Hills MTA station to Chamber street station, and walked about a block where one can see the large 59-story building, gleaming with the reflective glass panels. This new building that replaced the one that was destroyed back on 9/11 and opened on 2006. It is also New York City's first " green" office building being certified Gold by the US Green Building Council under the LEED rating system.
First thing ones sees is the fanciable large mirror-polished sculpture called "Balloon-Flower" by Jeff Koons located at the small plaza in front of the entrance to WTC 7. It looks like a balloon-dog that those clowns make during family nights at a restaurant, which is actually what Mr. Koons says it is.

After getting checked in by the friendly security and getting an adhesive badge, I was let into the building. Passing a security turnstile, I took the elevator to the 19 Floor, where the cafeteria is located. In front of the entrance to the cafeteria, I met my host. The hallway and elevator were very spacious and bright, very nice to be in.

The WTC 7 cafeteria is located on the southside of the building. My main interest was that this side had a view looking down into the construction of Ground Zero at the World Trade Center site.

From the 19th floor one can see how much work is going on at the site. The Freedom Tower is now several stories high, with many cranes located at the top floor. It has progress much since I visited in Nov 09. The Tower is on the west side of the site. On the south side is the beginnings of the World Trade Center Memorial with the two large squares which are the "footprint" of the original Twin Towers.

At the east side was large empty area area the future PATH train station will be located. First this site one can see the large concrete "bath tube" which goes around and under the entire site. It is used to hold back the water from the surrounding rivers. One can also get a taste of the scale of the site by looking at the 5 story parking lot which is double high but still underneath street level.

Across Church Street from east side is ancient St Paul's Chapel which many of the rescue workers during 9/11 recovery used to recuperate during the long days. This Church has many stories to tell on this tragic time. It was also the Church that President George Washington visited right after his first inauguration. Much history in this building.
Lunch menu at the cafeteria was extensive from fresh salad to well cooked platters. This was one of the best cafeteria I have been to and it did not accept cash. We had a nice meal and talked about the times. Most of the people who worked at the WTC 7 were from the financial sector. The cafeteria had a great view and I would probably stay there for many hours if I had my choice.

Visiting the new WTC 7 was rather uplifting to me and it was the first time I went to a functioning building of this site since the destruction of 9/11. Seeing that the other parts of the site particularly the Freedom Tower and Memorial were finally beginning to take shape after many years and much delays(all self centered by those involved-IMHO) gave me some sense of optimism for New York City, my home town.

Photos can be seen on the Photo Album Site of Faceboook

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=45901&id=1507778102&l=143415c5e6