From the top of One World Trade Center, the nation's tallest building, it really does seem as if you can "see forever."
Those two words are the motto of the center's new observatory that opens May 29, offering spectacular, wraparound views stretching 50 miles past the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty to the Atlantic Ocean.
But even when the 1,776-foot (521-meter) building disappears into the clouds, as it did on a recent day, there are still plenty of high-tech videos and multimedia displays that reflect the hope and optimism of a building and a city that rose from the ruins of the nation's deadliest terror attack.
"This is a reminder of moving forward," said David Checketts, the CEO of Legends, which operates the $86 million observatory atop the 104-story skyscraper. "The World Trade Center got knocked down and we built if back up."
Visitors who enter the One World Observatory its official name encounter a delicate balance of future and past, with only brief references to the twin towers that were slammed by terrorist-hijacked planes on Sept. 11, 2001, killing more than 2,700 people.
Just above the street-level entrance, faces of men and women who toiled to erect the mammoth, gleaming tower appear in a jagged tunnel that replicates the trade center's bedrock, their recorded voices filled with both pain and pride.
And during the lightning-fast, 48-second elevator ride up to the 102nd floor, a three-dimensional, time-lapse panorama shows 515 years of history at the tip of Manhattan, with the twin towers appearing for less than four seconds before dissolving out of view.
Stepping from the elevator, visitors are greeted with display panels showing 3-D, bird's eye scenes of the metropolis. The panels then lift to reveal New York City - right now.
There's another display called "City Pulse," a ring of high-definition video monitors marking popular city activities, neighborhoods and "hot spots." A wave of the hand in the direction of any of these subjects opens the latest details on everything from sports and theater to the best pizza locations.
For an additional USD 15, visitors may use iPads that scan the skyline, popping up imagery and information narrated by novelist Jay McInerney.
There's no need to creep to observatory's edge for a dizzying view of the city about a quarter-mile below. Visitors can stand on a round video platform that shows an actual livestream of the view straight down.
