Much to commend the discussion, but about Gov. Christie's cancellation of the ARC tunnel: Scott Raab is just plain wrong. The ARC tunnel was a "quid pro quo" with Corzine's lackluster admin under pressure from Frank Lautenberg's pork barrel crew to ensure NJ and PATH buy in of the WTC site rebuild. As such, it was poorly planned and would have had cost overruns in the $3-6 billion range to be picked up by the most cash-strapped and overtaxed state in the Nation, like most of Pork-barrel Frank's public trough projects.

More importantly, the tunnel was a benefit to NYC and to rich folks commuting to midtown (not downtown!) with absolutely no benefit to most working stiffs and the people of New Jersey. The truth is that New Jersey, as a result of a century of myopic racism (against Newark's Jewish, then Black communities) has let public transport lag New York city's subway system so badly that it is impossible to set it right. Hudson, Bergen and Essex Counties in North Jersey are EACH the size and density of Brooklyn/Queens with terrible public transport options that feed into/out of NYC but do little or nothing to foment local business development in those counties. What is needed, very badly, is a regional subway system that allows for transport here FIRST before another dime is spent on crossing the Hudson River. Christie was right to cut the program, right to cite the terrible budgeting of same, right to call the machine Dems in Hudson county, et al that stood to benefit, and the cost to NJ in lost jobs is infinitesimal.

Continued citation of Christie's killing of this off-track project by NYC apologists is wrong-headed and small-hearted.

The office buildings at the WTC site are bland 20th century corporate designs, and per the recent plaNYC energy benchmarking report, will probably perform at a much lower level than the Empire State Building. In the report, older buildings scored higher since they typically had more area of solid insulated wall. Glass is a very poor insulating material, even with the most advanced energy coatings. So we've spent billions to saddle the next generation with millions of square feet of energy inefficient space.

Incredible indictment of politics and bureaucracy. Chris Ward for President.

there will never be Art at the WTC site, because art, by its nature, must push buttons to be great, and the overseers, family, etc. don't want that.

Wasn't there supposed to be a direct link to JFK by rail created...?

This movie comes to mind, poltergeist..remember that burial ground?..

the Empire State Building took less than 2 years to build!
The Truth about the ESB in the early 20th century.