A 9-11 walk from my office to Ground Zero

Walking out of my office, I head towards 7 World Trade Center, which appears to be the tallest building in Lower Manhattan.








Crossing Worth and Thomas, the rain begins to let up. Suddenly I hear one sonorous deep ring of a bell that must have enveloped all of Tribeca.


































Approaching Chambers Street, I decide to cross the street.












I cross Warren and then Murray Streets. Almost to Ground Zero











Just ahead, the streets are blocked for vehicle traffic.






7 World Trade Center was the first building to quietly be rebuilt.







The Freedom Tower has emerged from its many underground floors.




When I saw this rose alongside the construction wall, I knew this was the shot I came for.





Sometimes the atmosphere around Ground Zero can take on an almost carnival aspect. Not today.

This could be the start of something big

Since lower Manhattan converges into a point, the big avenues that follow the city to the north must merge here. Broadway begins at Battery Park (I'm using the term "begin" as moving from south to north. South of Columbus Circle, Broadway is one-way southbound). Named Brede Weg by the Dutch, the road was built atop an Indian trail. From Battery Park to City Hall, Broadway is the Canyon of Heroes and the sidewalks have markers for each ticker tape parade to honor foreign dignitaries, astronauts and baseball teams. After crossing the Harlem River, it becomes a major street in Westchester County and becomes the highway to Albany. George Washington lived on Broadway during his presidency.

Hudson Street begins in a quiet corner of Tribeca, heading northbound to 14th St., where it becomes 8th Avenue. It passes Penn Station and, after Columbus Circle becomes Central Park West. North of Central Park, it resumes the name 8th Avenue, but it is alternately named Frederick Douglass Boulevard in parts of Harlem.


Varick starts at the corner of West Broadway and Leonard Streets. Being Southbound, it merges with West Broadway and heads down towards the World Trade Center site. It runs diagonally northwest until it crosses Houston and becomes 7th Avenue. It intersects with Broadway to form Times Square, then goes north to Central Park.

Along the Hudson River to the Irish Famine Memorial

One day recently, I had to give up my computer so that a new program could be installed, so I dressed warm and headed South and west from West Broadway and Duane Street, walking past the campus of the Manhattan Community College. At Chambers, I headed for the river and crossed West Street just near the point where it becomes the West Side Highway. Along the way there were new apartment buildings, a school and a few restaurants. When you turn left along the river, you hit the beginning of a path that goes all the way to Battery Park. Even though it was a cold day, the Nelson Rockefeller Park was filled with people playing and eating. There is an almost eerie quiet here since the road running along the river had virtually no traffic. On the inland side of the street you see lots of baby carriages.

The Irish Famine Memorial contains large stones from every county in Ireland, as well as a wall of quotes and a reconstructed Famine-era cottage ruin. Like Ireland itself, it is a sad but beautiful place, resting just a block from the World Trade Center. Also like Ireland itself, no matter how many times you visit this spot, you always see something you hadn't noticed before. The rock from County Clare was obviously taken from the Burren.

West Broadway to the World Trade Center

On a lunch hour recently, I walked south to see if any visible progress had been made on the Freedom Tower. Four months ago it looked about the same as it had the year before that. I'm happy to report that a recognizable building structure is starting to rise up here. Along the way, one passes a number of fine restaurants and gourmet stores. I would have stopped at the Amish Market Hot and Cold buffet but it was swamped and there was nowhere to sit, so I passed that for another day. Since I can only eat out once a week, the decision of where to lunch is one that involves a lot of research. Another notable food store is Bouley's Market - a bakery and restaurant. I can vouch for the bakery as having pastries as good as you'll find anywhere west of France. Along the way, one sees 7 World Trade Center start to dominate the skyline, waiting for the day that it will itself be surpassed by the Freedom Tower. At the entrance to 7 WTC, there is a running marquee of quotes about life in New York.

Leonard Street to Five Points

Last week after lunching at the Square Diner, I walked on Leonard to it's end in Hudson, and then headed East to its beginning at the famous (or infamous) Five Points. Along the way, I passed the nearly-complete new facility for the New York Law School, apartments, and real estate offices. Past Lafayette, the street gave way to a series of state government offices and courts.



The massive intersection of five points was bulldozed many years ago and replaced with Columbus Park. The morning I was there, the park was being used for recess at a nearby grade school. Other streets in the intersection were Mulberry and Worth. Five Points was the featured geography for the Scorsese film Gangs of New York. For years it was an emblem of the urban squalor created by the waves of new immigrants gaining a toehold in New York City.

Worth between Church and West Broadway

"New York is an exciting town where something is happening all the time, most of it unsolved."
Johnny Carson

Today's block contains a college book store, an educational toy store, a high-rise office building, and the offices and classrooms of the New York Law School. It is a two way street, but a relatively slow-paced one, so students going from one side with classrooms to the library on the south side can usually make it across alive.

Moore between Hudson and Varick

"New York was his city, and it always would be."
Woody Allen

You know from the brickwork on the sidewalks and on the street itself that this is ancient New York. There are a number of notable eateries on this block. Bubbies is, apparently, a home away from home for movie stars. Their menu is only slightly more expensive than the Tribeca average, and the food smells wafting into the street are very inviting. The Brandy Library came highly recommended by a knowledgeable friend. Walker's on Varick is a fine place for after hours quaffing and noshing. Otherwise the street appears to be Tribeca Industrial. Click on the image to get the full view.