Having heard that some of the fences at the World Trade Center had indeed come down, I headed over this morning—I needed to see it with my own eyes. I guess I lost the bet I made with a reader last year, as I was certain that the NYPD would back away from its plans, citing security concerns.

The plaza is open from three points: the southeast (at Liberty and Greenwich), the southwest (Liberty and West), and the northwest (what will one day be Fulton and West), where you’re funneled north to Vesey. The fencing has been removed all along West Street, but you can’t walk along the street just yet, and plastic Jersey barriers and chain-link fencing are still all over the place. Those are mere quibbles, however: In my opinion, the demilitarization of the WTC zone is far more momentous than the opening of the 9/11 Museum, because it’s the second major step—after the creation of the plaza—in bringing the area back to life. I wandered around the plaza for the first time since it opened, because you obviously no longer need a ticket, and I crossed West Street at Liberty just because I could.

And the area south of the World Trade Center that used to be clogged with tourists? It’s breathing a sigh of relief.

The plaza will be open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. And if you walk by 1 World Trade on the west side, look up—you get a very different view of it (as you can see below).

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