Reply #18: Video showing street-level view of proximity of the propsoed mosque to Ground Zero

[markpkessinger]

Those who think they have something to gain politically by opposing the mosque, as well as those who simply don't have the kind of first-hand knowledge of the area of the proposed center, would have you believe that the proposed Islamic Cultural Center will tower triumphantly over Ground Zero. I know the block well where the Islamic Cultural Center is to be built. Yes, it's downtown, and yes, it's "near" the Ground Zero site in terms of geographical proximity on a map. But in the context of the dense urban landscape that is lower Manhattan, two blocks might as well be twenty. And the site for the Islamic Cultural Center is rather obscure relative to the World Trade Center site. To help folks see what I'm talking about, and hopefully in the interest of adding a measure of rationality in the ongoing debate, the other day I created a video slide show, using Google Maps' "Street View" feature. It's an annotated, virtual walk around the block from 45 Park Place, the site of the proposed center. It gives viewers a sense of the reality of the location, as one experiences it as street level, and show just how out-of-the-way the site is relative to the World Trade Center. The link to the video is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6cpEAvvYB.