Photo by Jin S. Lee

THE SIX SURVIVOR TREES OF 9/11
Former Parks Department arborist Doug Still has launched a podcast called “This Old Tree” that features, among other stories about heritage trees, the tale of the Callery pear Survivor Tree at the World Trade Center site and the six other trees found with it. He interviews his boss at the time and the two of them recollect their experience at the site in 2001 and how they rescued the few remaining trees. In other episodes, Still, who was also the arborist for the city of Providence, interviews experts and historians to uncover the tales behind the country’s oldest trees.

HOLIDAY MARKET AT THE OCULUS
I haven’t seen it myself — there’s not much detail on the Westfield website — but there’s a holiday market at the Oculus operating through Jan. 2. Hours are 10a to 8p Monday to Saturday and 11a to 7p on Sunday.

NAME THAT TREE!
The Parks Department has created the NYC Tree Map with data on more than 860,000 park and street trees within what the creators call “the most comprehensive and up-to-date living tree map in the world.” Identify your street tree here.

SOHO BASKETBALL COURT CLOSED TILL 2024
Gothamist reports that the Grand Canal basketball court on Sixth Avenue in SoHo has a sign that says it will be closed through the third quarter of 2026. “But the MTA said in a statement Friday that the court will reopen by the end of 2024. The agency did not explain the discrepancy. The court at Sixth Avenue and Canal Street sits on a wedge-shaped block by the Holland Tunnel. It is heavily used by students from three nearby high schools that lack their own basketball courts, according to Jeannine Kiely, chair of Community Board 2…The MTA said the closure is necessary for a $53.2 million substation infrastructure upgrade underneath the courts to support train communications for the Eighth Avenue line.”