Exiting the subway at WTC, everything becomes very vertical, very quickly. The East side of the WTC site is blocked off for continuing construction (July 2015). So, we chose to walk north and go around the north side of the Freedom Tower to enter on the west side.

Approaching the north side of the Freedom Tower. It looks like there is little or no space between these buildings, but there is a street between them.

The north side of the Freedom Tower.

The west side - entrance of the Freedom Tower.

Going through the security check point.

Once through security, visitors are led through a gallery of multi-media presentations.

Personal testimonies from construction personnel involved with building the Freedom Tower.

More testimonies in a video corridor,

One of the amazing things about this visit, was how I was able to get shots like this, with no people in the shot. This corridor led to the elevators to the Observation Deck.

Once in the elevator, another video presentation begins. Scenes of NYC appear on multiple screens in front of you.

The elevator is moving, but you have no sense of moving. The video and sound somehow tricks your mind into thinking that you are not moving. I stepped back away from the rail to get these photos.

When the video is done, the doors open in front of you, and.........

......and there you are at the top of the Freedom Tower.

Escalators to the Observatory level.

Stairway to Observatory Level. First views of the city surrounding you.

Looking down at the Observatory level, and the city outside the windows.

To the right, New Jersey and the Hudson River. Straight ahead New York Harbor. To the left, lower Manhattan, and in this distant left, Brooklyn.

Looking down at the Hudson River, NY Harbor, Liberty Island, in the distance. The Tower's shadow is seen on the lower right side.

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Looking north at the Hudson River.

Zoomed in on the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan.

The George Washington Bridge connecting New Jersey to Manhattan. This is the bridge that Capt. Sully Sullenberger flew over to land US Airways flight 1549 safely in the Hudson River..

At first, I was going to discard this image. The reflection of people at an adjacent window was too prominent. The second time I viewed this image, I saw the image within an image, and decided that it added to the main image..

The view looking towards Mid town Manhattan, with the Empire State Building in the center. Yankee Stadium (in the Bronx) can be seen just to the left of the Empire State Building. It's the small white object in the distance.

The gift shop on the observation deck.

A very busy New York Harbor.

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The observation deck on the 100th floor of the Freedom Tower NYC

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Another view of the Observation deck . Surprisingly, not many people were there at the time.

A wide view of people, and their reflections at the window of the observation deck.

The "Sky Portal"

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The SkyPortal

The Brooklyn Bridge as seen from the Freedom Tower Observation Deck (HDR)

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Liberty Island and the Statue of Liberty. New Jersey in the distance

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Looking diagonally across the Reflection Pool Memorial, created in the foot print of the of the old WTC north tower. The Freedom Tower is the building to the left in this photo..

Looking back at the Freedom Tower, across the north Reflection Pool Memorial.

The names of victim's from 9-11 engraved in the Reflection Pool Memorial.

The Freedom Tower rises high above the north Reflection Pool Memorial.

People stroll along the plaza between the north and south Reflection Pool Memorials.

The Reflection Pool Memorial created in the foot print of the old WTC South Tower.. Ladder Co. 10 Engine Co. 10 is just beyond the trees, on the opposite side of the memorial.

Looking across the south reflection pool . Surrounding buildings reflected off the WTC building.

Looking back, through the tree tops, at the Freedom Tower, from the south reflection pool. (HDR)

The Reflection Pool Memorial South..

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Shadows and reflections .

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The Freedom tower and surrounding WTC buildings reflected in the Reflection Pool Memorial.

Ladder Co. 10 - Engine Co. 10 across the street from the WTC Memorial.