N.Y. Winter Garden to Reopen Its Glass Atrium, Entrance

The World Financial Center Winter Garden, a soaring 10-story, glass-enclosed atrium that was severely damaged in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, is to reopen Tuesday. The garden’s program of free music, dance and children’s events will resume Oct. 2 with a performance by the Ailey II dance troupe.

More than 500 workers replaced 2,000 glass panes, rebuilt the grand staircase and did other reconstruction on the garden, which was designed by architect Cesar Pelli (creator of West Hollywood’s landmark Pacific Design Center) and opened in 1988. It has a new glass-facade entrance, designed by Pelli and his son Rafael, facing West Street.

A list of fall events is available at www.worldfinancialcenter.com. (Click on “Calendar.”)

In another sign of New York’s recovery, two subway stations that have been closed since the attacks were expected to reopen today. The stations, along Lines 1 and 9 in Lower Manhattan, are at Rector Street and South Ferry. (The two lines will bypass the damaged Cortlandt Street station, the one nearest the World Trade Center site.)

Near ground zero, the first section of an observation wall, on the west side of Church Street from Fulton to Cortlandt streets, opened to victims’ families last week and was to open to the public today. Visitors can view the site through the wall’s steel mesh fencing. The wall’s panels bear the names of more than 2,800 who died in the attacks. Other sections are expected to open later this year.

New York’s tourism industry is also recovering, said NYC & Co., which markets tourism for the city. Hotel occupancy rates this summer were close to last year’s, although the average room rate was still down 10% or 15%, it said. The city finished 2001 with slightly more domestic visitors than in 2000--about 29.5 million. But they stayed fewer days and spent less than in 2000.