It's difficult to convey to someone who's never seen it and even to the casual visitor who comes to see it as a sort of shrine, but that gaping hole in the ground is a wound in the heart and soul of this country. It absolutely kills me every time I see it. The symbolic value alone of rebuilding it is immeasurable in the sense of showing the world that we will not allow the physical scars of the attack on our country to continue to be visible.
People in this city are infuriated with the delays and infighting that have delayed the towers' rebuilding. At this point in time, Silverstein is looking into partnering more closely with the Port Authority which will make it more a joint private/public concern. Personally, I care less who or how it gets done and who ultimately profits from it that that it gets done at all, and I speak not as a New Yorker but as an American.
