News Digest

New York celebrates opening of World Trade Center deck

Testament to the regeneration of New York, nearly 14 years after the 9/11 attacks, is the new observation deck at the World Trade Center, offering spectacular views across the city. The observation deck that covers the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors of the gleaming glass tower and opens to the general public next Friday. The Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower, was built on the site of buildings destroyed in the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was constructed to a total height, antenna included, of 1,776 feet, to honour the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Operators expect three to four million visitors a year will take in the 360-degree views at 1,250 feet (380 meters) from the Statue of Liberty, to Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge and New Jersey to the west.

We are back, 100 percent…It’s a great moment, it really says that we have turned the corner once and for all, and those that sought to attack us, lost once again.

Bill de Blasio, New York Mayor

Floor-to-ceiling LED technology provides visitors with a virtual time-lapse that recreates the development of the city’s s skyline from the 1600s to present day. On the 101st floor there is a restaurant, a grill and a cafe. Visitors are subject to tough security measures similar to those at airports, or indeed at other public buildings in New York. Standard entry is $32 for adults, $30 for seniors and $26 for children. The observatory will be open seven days a week from 9am to midnight until September 7, and from 9am to 8pm until May 5. It is free for relatives of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and to first responders to the disaster. In total 2,753 people were killed at the World Trade Center site when Al-Qaeda hijacked two passenger jets and flew them into the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001.

We can start to see the curve of the earth on a clear day.

David Checketts, chairman and chief executive officer of Legends, the company which operates the observatory.