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Published: July 16th 2009
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When for the first time I went to see the Ground Zero, a place in which used to be the WTC twin towers, I hoped to see something that would move me or perhaps even schock me... I hoped it would be the one place in New York where I could discovere something spiritual, something deep what would give us a certain message. This is a place where the biggest terrorist atack took place and where died almost 3000 people.
But nothing. 16 acres of an empty space that now doesn't even remind of the people who died. And all the thoughts and reflexions are disturbed by the ongoing construction. It is planned to build there another office building. And who knows if practicality will allow to build some memorial that would remind of all the victims and of what actually happened on the 11th of September in 2001.
Today I went there again, but my impressions were the same. I walked near the Trinity Church and Wall Street... Around this area you can find a small place with gravestones. They have nothing to do with the WTC victims but they greatly contrast with all the huge skyscrapers, buildings on Wall
Street and American Stock Exchange reminding, in a very ironic way, of the current economic situation.
When it comes to Greenpoint... After getting off from metro, in front of me appeared a hilarious view: Staropolski (Old Polish) meat market next to a very American Starbucks coffee. Except that Polish products, press, books... I had a feeling though that time has just stopped there. In SOME stores were empty shelves, music that even my parents don't listen to anymore and things that I don't even remember from my childhood.
Polish people were the same though...
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Kiedy po raz pierwszy poszlam zobaczyc Ground Zero, miejsce w ktorym kiedys znajdowaly sie dwie wieze WTC, mialam nadzieje, ze bedzie tam cos co mnie poruszy, wzruszy, byc moze wstrzasnie... Mialam nadzieje, ze bedzie to wlasnie choc to jedyne miejsce w Nowym Jorku, w ktorym bedzie mozna odnalezc cos "duchowego", cos co bedzie mialo glebie, niosaca pewne przeslanie. To przeciez wlasnie tu mial miejsce najwiekszy atak terrorystyczny w historii swiata, w ktorym zginelo prawie 3000 osob.
Jednak nic. 65000 m2 pustki, ktora juz nawet nie przypomina o nieobecnych a mysli i refleksje zaklocane sa przez odglosy budowy. W planach zagospodarowania tak
wielkiej przestrzeni jest kolejny biurowiec. I kto wie czy praktycznosc pozwoli na jakikolwiek pomnik upamietniajacy ofiary i to co mialo miejsce 11 wrzesnia 2001 roku.
Dzis wiec odwiedzilam to miejsce raz jeszcze, jednak wrazenia te same. Przeszlam kolo Trinity Church i Wall Street... Niedaleko w tej okolicy znajduje sie maly plac z kilkoma nagrobkami. Nie maja one nic wspolnego z ofiarami ataku, ale tworza one niesamowity kontrast pomiedzy ogromnymi wiezowcami, budynkami na Wall Street i gielda papierow wartosciowych, w ironiczny sposob przypominajac o obecnym stanie gospodarki.
Jesli natomiast chodzi o Greenpoint... Po wyjsciu z metra komiczny widok Staropolski meat market a zaraz obok bardzo amerykanski Starbucks coffee. Poza tym, polskie produkty, prasa, ksiazki... Mialam wrazenie jednak, ze czas sie tam nieco zatrzymal. W NIEKTORYCH sklepach puste polki, muzyka, ktorej juz nawet moi rodzice nie sluchaja, rzeczy, ktorych nie pamietam nawet z dziecinstwa. Polacy jednak tacy sami...
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Jędrek
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Dissapointment
I was laughing my ass off when I read your latest post, I mean it's second part. The first part WAS really sad as I was struck by the lack of anything commemorating those who died on 9/11. Coming back to Greenpoint... well, I actually loved it. The Poland I saw there was a country from some 30 or 40 years ago even though now the area is not as homogeneous as it was some time ago. There are a lot of Mexicans, for instance. Those Poles who went to live in NYC back then still speak hardly any English, have the jobs they had back then etc. Time has stopped for them. Fortunately, their motherland has moved forward. To get a wider view on the American Polonia, you should hop on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago, Il.