August 25, 2016

Oculus mall at World Trade Center

The reopening — and reinvention — of the World Trade Center mall reflects how much lower Manhattan has changed since the 9/11 attacks.
Once a scene of massive destruction, the area is now a vibrant one of office towers and upscale hotels, with three times the number of residents as before the attacks, weekday employees in industries beyond Wall Street, and millions of tourists visiting every year.
Shops from Apple to Forever 21 to H&M to John Varvatos will serve the increasingly diverse area where real estate experts say people have been eager for new stores and restaurants. The new spaces also let customers tap into technology, as some retailers use the space for their latest ideas.
The location is a “symbol of hope, opportunity, progress and perseverance,” said Bill Hecht, chief operating officer of Westfield Corp.’s U.S. division. Westfield manages the retail properties, while the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey owns the real estate.
More than 100 stores will occupy the 365,000-square-foot center, with about 60 opening this week and the rest by the winter holiday season. Ford Motor Co. is set to open this fall the first FordHub, a showroom for innovations that’s not a dealership. Shoe purveyor Aldo Group Inc. is using the opening to launch an app feature for its store, which will be rolled out to other locations.

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August 24, 2016

Bird’s-eye view of NYC from the One World Observatory

One World Observatory opened on May 29, 2015, on the 100th, 101st and 102nd floors of One World Trade Center. It offers stunning panoramic views of New York City and the surrounding area.
The building is the nation’s tallest, at 1,776 feet. Visitors get a view of the city from 1,250 feet that stretches 50 miles past the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty to the Atlantic Ocean.
Lower Manhattan, dominated by the financial industry, has also become one of Manhattan’s top tourist destinations, with memorials to the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, shopping malls and historical landmarks.

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August 24, 2016

Love locks on the Brooklyn waterfront

A love lock or love padlock is a lock that sweethearts attach to a bridge, fence, gate, or similar public fixture to symbolize their love. Typically the sweethearts’ names or initials are inscribed on the padlock, and its key is thrown away to symbolize unbreakable love.
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March 18, 2016

2016 NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade

New York City’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade turns fashionable Fifth Avenue green, and Mayor Bill de Blasio will end his two-year boycott over gay rights and march in the world’s largest Irish heritage celebration. The 255th edition of New York City's parade is expected to draw more than 1 million spectators to watch 200,000 spirited marchers, including more than 100 bands. This year’s event honors the 100th anniversary of the Easter Rising, which led to Ireland’s independence.

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January 29, 2016

Winter Storm Jonas

Millions of people in the eastern United States dug out Sunday from a historic blizzard that brought New York and Washington to a standstill, but travel woes look set to persist into another week.
The storm — dubbed “Snowzilla” — killed at least 18 people after it walloped several states from Friday into early Sunday, affecting an estimated 85 million residents who were told to stay indoors and off the roads for their own safety. Forecasters said 26.8 inches (68 centimeters) of snow fell in New York’s Central Park, the second-highest accumulation in the city since records began in 1869, and more than 22 inches paralyzed the Washington, D.C.
Near-record-breaking snowfall was recorded in other cities up and down the East Coast, with Philadelphia and Baltimore also on the receiving end of some of the worst that Mother Nature could fling at them.

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January 10, 2016

The No Pants Subway Ride

The No Pants Subway Ride was held in dozens of cities on Jan. 10, 2016. It began as a stunt in 2002 in New York and has taken place in cities around the world ever since. Organizers call it “an international celebration of silliness.”
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November 27, 2015

89th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Marching bands, floats and the big balloons soared along with the crowd’s spirits on a unseasonably warm day as the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade made its way through the streets of New York City.

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November 11, 2015

2015 Veterans Day Parade

New York City hosted its 96th annual parade, the largest celebration of service in the nation. "America's Parade" featured more than 20,000 participants, including marching bands, floats, veterans and military units. At 11 a.m. — the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month — a solemn hush fell over Manhattan’s Madison Square Park as veterans laid wreaths under the Eternal Light Monument to honor the fallen.

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September 12, 2015

Tribute in Light and 9/11 Anniversary

In what has become one of the most moving — and visible — 9/11 memorials, two giant pillars of light near where the World Trade Center's twin towers once stood were turned on in lower Manhattan this week to mark the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The Tribute in Light art installation consists of 88 searchlights that create two vertical columns of light.

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