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| The Oculus |
headed by celebrity chefs, Madison Avenue-level stores, sparkling new parks, movie theaters and two shopping malls.
It is also now home to fashion, beauty and publishing companies including
Condé Nast, Time Inc., Omnicom, Droga5, SNY, Hudson’s Bay Company,
HarperCollins, Revlon, Gucci and Hugo Boss Fashions Inc.
Besides checking out the enormous outdoor memorial pools,
which is emblazoned with the names of the people who died during the 9/11
attack, and stopping by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, recommended is the Brookfield Place, located at the
former World Financial Center. It anchors a sea of boutiques and food courts - not your
typical food court full of junk food though, but instead fresh healthy food.
There’s a salad place
where you can tell them exactly what you want on your plate. Sushi fans will
love the sushi bar. One of my favorites is the Chipotle Mexican grill, likewise
you could mix what you want. The cupcakes from Sprinkles are delicious. Free
Wi-Fi everywhere.
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| Westfield World Trade Center shopping mall at the Oculus |
There’s an Apple store in the Westfield World Trade Center along with lots of
stores. The central promenade of the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is
called the Oculus. Inside, columns extend skyward, linked by a thin spine of
skylights. The architecture is stunning, with skylights that can be opened - sun-blasted
space, high windows and vaulted ceiling.
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| One World Observatory at One World Trade |
In NY, shopping malls are usually situated in the suburbs. Growing up the
only mall that I frequented was King's
Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn. But this has all changed. It has been
revamped since into a semi-luxury mall.
Did you know that the man who invented shopping malls was an Austrian-born architect named Victor David Gruen (Viktor David Grünbaum). He is best known as a pioneer in the design of shopping malls in the United States. He designed the first suburban open-air shopping facility called Northland Mall near Detroit after the war, in 1954.
Did you know that the man who invented shopping malls was an Austrian-born architect named Victor David Gruen (Viktor David Grünbaum). He is best known as a pioneer in the design of shopping malls in the United States. He designed the first suburban open-air shopping facility called Northland Mall near Detroit after the war, in 1954.