I (and many of my fellow New Yorkers) have never been fond of the term Ground Zero. Everyone has different reasons. For me, Ground Zero was an ok term on Sept 12th because we felt like we had been hit by an atomic bomb. Ground Zero is an engineering term. One builds a building up or down from Ground Zero and last but not least, the term has only three syllables and the media didn't have time for more than three syllables.
The problem is Ground Zero memorialized the event and the perpetrators without acknowledging the history and future of the site and all the wonderful support that New York received from all over the world.
Many New Yorkers never went to the the top of the World Trade Center because they thought it would always be there. I went on several occasions. Once, I accompanied the gentlemen from China in the picture. They were Paleontologists. I also attended my friend's son's Bar Mitzvah reception at Windows on the World.
Another way to understand our loss and the notion of the World Trade Center as a place that mattered, is to see the documentary "Man on Wire" about Philip Petit's tightrope walk between the Towers. I am posting this today (5/21/2011) because the movie will be on the Sundance Channel at 8 PM. You can also find the DVD here.
For more about the area around the World Trade Center Site, visit my post about the November event called Canstruction. Just below the South side of the site is also a great bar called O'Hara's. I used to go to it long before Sept 11th. It is a survivor bar and a great place to eat or drink.
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