Reflection Essay
GEOG 200-B04
The place that I call home is Long Island New York. The most notable area on Long Island
would New York City particularly Manhattan. Manhattan is what everyone thinks of when they
think of New York City. The streets are over looked by tremendous skyscrapers and the streets
are filled with rushing people as well as bright yellow taxi cabs. One of the most notable
features of my home is the One World Trade Center building. This building is the tallest in the
city, stretching 1,776 feet in the air (World Trade Center). It is one of the greatest landmarks in
the entire country because it serves as a reminder for the 9/11 terrorist attack on the original
world trade center in 2001. Another very notable feature in NYC is the Pennsylvania Station.
This train station is flooded with people commuting to and from work and also coming for a visit
to the city. In the station you will find dozens of different train tracks headed all over Long Island
as well as off the island. It is chaotic, dirty, and you never know what you will stumble upon
when passing through the station.
The One World Trade Center is a distinct landmark of home because it is a very unique
reflective building that rises above all others in the entire city. While passing over the bridge to
return to Long Island, it could be seen before all of the other buildings. This building is a symbol
for The United States of America because it shows that we cannot be broken. After the terrorist
attack at the original World Trade Center, the country was in a time of fear and brokenness. The
rebuilding of The World Trade Center shows that we as a country can’t be broken and that we
will rise above these acts of terror. It is also a reminder of the 2726 men, women and children
that were lost in the attack (Deaths in World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks). Penn Station is also
a landmark of home. It isn’t necessarily the building itself that makes it a landmark, but what
you find in it. There are talented musicians hitting buckets as drums, people dressed in
costumes resembling a character from popular movies and TV shows, and almost anything else
imaginable. This station never fails to surprise me with what it has going on inside, and I have
never seen a more dynamic place before in my life. This station serves as a symbol of what the
“Empire State of Mind” is all about. This expression describes a fast pace life style because time
is money. Wall Street stock brokers arrive in the station and they don’t hesitate a second to rush
through the doors of the train and find their way to work as fast as possible. Also, this station is
filled with a very diverse group of people which also represents what this city is all about. Ellis
Island was the entry point to the United States for more than 62 million people of all different
ethnic backgrounds (Ellis Island History). Seeing the diversity in all the people is a reminder of
the history of this city and how it was home to millions of immigrants.
The One World Trade Center relates to the five main themes of geography because of its
place. The building is a new World Trade Center as a reminder of what used to be called The
World Trade Center. In reality, this building is just a building, but name we give it is what gives it
meaning. Also, Penn Station relates to the five main themes of geography because of
movement. Thousands of people a day pass through this station and use it as their primary
source of transportation for school, work, and everything else.
Works Cited
Ellis Island History (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2019, from
https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/ellis-island-history
Deaths in World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks --- New York City, 2001. (2002, September 9).
Retrieved February 4, 2019, from
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm51spa6.htm
World Trade Center. (n.d.). Retrieved February 4, 2019, from
https://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/history-wtc.html
