[Leica] Re: Twin Towers

[lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin)]

On Jun 22, 2006, at 2:12 PM, Bob wrote:

> The Seaport, Wall Street, and Battery Park area was my hangout for many
> years of shooting. You did a fine composition of the Merchant Marine 
> sculpture.
> For some action, take the ferry to Staten Island.
> I'm glad I have a series of shots of the WTC in my collection. The 
> scene
> won't be the same without those towers. On my rounds I would drop into 
> the
> restaurants in the basement of the WTC.

My first apartment in the NYC area was in Staten Island. This was in 
1963, before the Verrazano Bridge was built. I commuted to my job in 
Manhattan via the Staten Island ferry every morning. It was (and still 
is) a wonderful short sea trip. At the time, the fare was only a 
nickel. If you visit New York, don't miss a round trip on the ferry. It 
is one of the best photo ops the city has to offer. You pass the Statue 
of Liberty, dodge a few freighters and an occasional cruise liner, and 
get great views of lower Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge.

During the 60s my morning commute offered daily observations of the 
Twin Towers under construction. At the time, they were universally 
reviled. The towers were railroaded through by the Port of New York 
Authority for a variety of reasons, most of which had little to do with 
demand for more office space in the area. Architectural critics panned 
both their esthetics and the way that they distorted the lower 
Manhattan skyline. Their structural design was suspect and there were 
well substantiated rumors that substandard concrete was used in their 
construction. While everyone regrets the tragic loss of life that the 
attack on the towers caused, there are some New Yorkers who feel that 
the towers should never have been raised in the first place. The 
several proposed replacements for the towers are even less attractive 
than the original. In addition to simply being ugly, few businesses 
want to rent space in them. And I don't blame them. The space should be 
converted to a memorial park. Lower Manhattan certainly needs more 
green space to host the coyotes that are moving down from upState.

Larry Z