Why Is the Floor of the Oculus Already Crumbling?

A daily mix of stories about cities, city life, and our always evolving neighborhoods and skylines. [Curbed]( WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 getting around [Why Is the Floor of the Oculus Already Crumbling?]( Eight years in, the marble slabs are chipping and flaking. It didn’t have to be this way. Photo: Christopher Bonanos Look up when you walk through the World Trade Center Oculus, and you can forgive almost everything. Yes, [the cost topped $4 billion]( for little more than a pretty entranceway as the rest of the transit system starved. Yes, the central skylight was supposed to open every September 11 but doesn’t because the gasket tore the second time they tried it. ([The solution](, for a while, was [Flex Tape](.) Yes, the mall is [underperforming](, and in the middle of the concourse, there are too many dumpy little kiosks selling souvenirs. But you enter that hall, and it does what Santiago Calatrava said it would. Your eye is drawn up the Italian-marble walls and the glowing white ribs, and you are reminded of the nave of a great cathedral. You can experience, as a commuter, a moment’s uplift. Cast your eye downward, though, and you’re back in busted-up New York. [Continue reading »]( Want more on city life, real estate, and design? [Subscribe now]( for unlimited access to Curbed and everything New York. [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( The Latest [L.A.’s ‘Green Alley’ Experiments Are Working The city’s efforts to become flood- and drought-resilient are ready to be scaled up.]( By Alissa Walker [To Dream of Pickleball City The sport’s die-hard fans are fighting for courts they can call their own.]( By Bindu Bansinath [The Bean, Once Half, Is Now Whole Four years later, Anish Kapoor’s legume at 56 Leonard is complete.]( By Clio Chang [Joan Didion’s Apartment Is for Sale Missed out on the estate auction? Seven and a half million dollars will get you the whole house.]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( [Read More From Curbed]( If you enjoyed reading Curbed’s daily newsletter, forward it to a friend. Or [sign up for our Design Hunting newsletter]( for a visual diary from design editor Wendy Goodman. [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe](link.nymag.com/manage/588/optout-curbed?email={EMAIL}&hash=6c53b63a8e3fad70ad4ef13004527437) | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, 12th Floor Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2023, All rights reserved