View From Freedom Tower

[deepblue]

Check out the view from the Freedom Tower in NYC.
Amazing!

[joshatatlasstands]

awesome!

[tex_lt]

Wow amazing. USA, USA!!!!

[PraXis]

[GNR4EVR]

Moving picture, actually. Very moving.

[Bandit79]

Originally Posted by PraXis

Middle finger?

[bertzie]

Wouldn't catch me near that place. The whole idea of it is giving me some baaaaaaaad juju.

[GNR4EVR]

Ever need a reminder of why were taking the fight "over there"? One picture speaks volumes. So do the cries of those who lived it and the survivors. I think it would do us good to remember them.

[SGMM]

Never forget!!

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by deepblue

Check out the view from the Freedom Tower in NYC.
Amazing!

Pretty sad actually.

The pic is overlooking the collapse area and the footprints of the North and South Towers.

[deepblue]

Looking at the footprints of the WTC, they seem rather small for two buildings of that height. Perhaps the reflecting pools were scaled down a little.....does anyone know?

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by deepblue

Looking at the footprints of the WTC, they seem rather small for two buildings of that height. Perhaps the reflecting pools were scaled down a little.....does anyone know?

The footprints are 1 acre each, thats how the buildings were designed. The pools are the same size.

The original WTC was an engineering marvel, to support a structure that high without a huge base, like the Empire State Bldg.

[Thumpalumpacus]

The picture loses impact with the fish-eye lens. But I'm glad we're building the tower.

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

The picture loses impact with the fish-eye lens. But I'm glad we're building the tower.

It would have been a better pic if they would have shot northwards towards uptown, minus the fisheye. Much more to see.

[deepblue]

Originally Posted by geochem1st

The footprints are 1 acre each, thats how the buildings were designed. The pools are the same size.

The original WTC was an engineering marvel, to support a structure that high without a huge base, like the Empire State Bldg.

Thanks Geo. That is amazing how all of that building fit into such a small footprint.

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by deepblue

Thanks Geo. That is amazing how all of that building fit into such a small footprint.

Yeah they were amazing. Completely flat sides of steel and glass. At the top floors you could press your nose up against the glass and see straight down the sides to the bottom... see people wandering around like ants. You could look down on planes flying up and down the Hudson River beneath you.

During storms, WTC 1, the North Tower with the huge antennae would get struck by lightning several times during a good blow. It would sound like someone hitting a metal garbage can with a baseball bat. Looking out you could see the Empire State Bldg get hit with lightning strikes. The weirdest part was when the wind really blew hard. The damn thing would move... quite a bit. Office doors would open and close by themselves, you could watch your coffee circle around in the cup from the building moving.

Sometimes the weather would just be different at the top. It would snow with flakes flying all around the windows, but at the bottom there would be no snow at all.

[Joeydego]

Let me ask this. Is this building worth the emotional investment enough to DOUBLE commuter tolls in order to pay for it? The funding for this came largely from commuter tolls, which legally are only supposed to fund traffic related projects. Port Authority tolls SKYROCKETED over the last 2 years, and this building was blamed.

[deepblue]

Originally Posted by Joeydego

Let me ask this. Is this building worth the emotional investment enough to DOUBLE commuter tolls in order to pay for it? The funding for this came largely from commuter tolls, which legally are only supposed to fund traffic related projects. Port Authority tolls SKYROCKETED over the last 2 years, and this building was blamed.

I think it is. Granted, I am not a citizen, but that building is a statement to the lunatics of the world. Knock me down, and I will get back up stronger than ever. I feel the entire free world should have donated money for that building. It is going to be a sight to behold when it's completed.

[Joeydego]

Originally Posted by deepblue

I think it is. Granted, I am not a citizen, but that building is a statement to the lunatics of the world. Knock me down, and I will get back up stronger than ever. I feel the entire free world should have donated money for that building. It is going to be a sight to behold when it's completed.

It's essentially a 120 dollar a month tax increase. You'd pay that happily?

[Joeydego]

If you started work at 20 and drove over that bridge to pay for the building for 40 years until retirement, the toll hike alone is worth over 300k at 7% a year interest. I'm sorry, its nice they put something there but not for that kind of personal money from people trying to make a living.

[deepblue]

Originally Posted by Joeydego

It's essentially a 120 dollar a month tax increase. You'd pay that happily?

Agreed Joey, $120 per month is steep.
There must be a better way. A Freedom Tower lottery perhaps? Too late now I suppose.

[bertzie]

Originally Posted by deepblue

I think it is. Granted, I am not a citizen, but that building is a statement to the lunatics of the world. Knock me down, and I will get back up stronger than ever. I feel the entire free world should have donated money for that building. It is going to be a sight to behold when it's completed.

I'm sure they'll be anticipating your check in the mail.

[deepblue]

Originally Posted by bertzie

I'm sure they'll be anticipating your check in the mail.

If there was a legitimate site for such a purpose I assure you I would.

[bertzie]

Try calling them and asking?

[Shawn Lutz]

Originally Posted by PraXis

that design won my approval and wish they would have went with it. It retained the original WTC look and also said FU to the terrorists.

[Rich]

I'm with Joey on this. No matter how you view the building symbolically, the fact of the matter is that it's being paid for with a taxes/tolls by local commuters. Who "owns" this building? At the end of the day, offices are going to be rented to businesses and money will be collected from those businesses. Who gets that money? Is it going back to pay for repairs and maintenance on the roads and tunnels where those tolls were collected? Or is the money going to something else?

I have no idea what the answers are to these questions but I think it blows that a small segment of commuters are paying for something that is supposed to make the entire country feel good about itself. And I think the name "Freedom Tower" is stupid and supposed to make the people footing the bill for this thing feel better about funding it... or at least make them feel guilty about not wanting to do it.

If some private company wanted to come in and pay for the cost of building a skyscraper there so they can collect rent, that's one thing. But expecting commuters to pay the bill is crazy if someone else benefits (government? some private company? other?); if that's to be the case, plant some trees, put up some sort of granite memorial and keep the cost down.

[geochem1st]

Originally Posted by Rich

I'm with Joey on this. No matter how you view the building symbolically, the fact of the matter is that it's being paid for with a taxes/tolls by local commuters. Who "owns" this building? At the end of the day, offices are going to be rented to businesses and money will be collected from those businesses. Who gets that money? Is it going back to pay for repairs and maintenance on the roads and tunnels where those tolls were collected? Or is the money going to something else?

I have no idea what the answers are to these questions but I think it blows that a small segment of commuters are paying for something that is supposed to make the entire country feel good about itself. And I think the name "Freedom Tower" is stupid and supposed to make the people footing the bill for this thing feel better about funding it... or at least make them feel guilty about not wanting to do it.

If some private company wanted to come in and pay for the cost of building a skyscraper there so they can collect rent, that's one thing. But expecting commuters to pay the bill is crazy if someone else benefits (government? some private company? other?); if that's to be the case, plant some trees, put up some sort of granite memorial and keep the cost down.

The financing for the new building is a scam played by tugging hard on the emotional strings of NY'ers. It's only 11 years too late as well. If business wanted a building there they should have footed the bill... another 'bailout' for the big guys using the working guys tax money... tolls.


Personally, I was for keeping those flood lights there at the WTC foot prints permanently.

[Olds442]

Should have made that fartknocker Silverstein pay for it.

Gah don't get me started on nine eleven. Biggest mess of lost innocent lives and the ripples that destroyed families and friends of those lost. Horrible crimes.

R.I.P.

[deepblue]

Originally Posted by bertzie

Try calling them and asking?

What's the number?

I didn't realize what was happening with tolls and who was paying for what. If indeed they are pulling at peoples heart strings
to justify a hefty toll hike then that is a little cold and calculating.

[Pennyman]

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

The picture loses impact with the fish-eye lens.

I couldn't disagree with you more. The fish-eye lens makes this picture.