Inside the Oculus, New York's insane-looking, $4 billion train station

On Thursday, March 4th, the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in Lower Manhattan officially opened to the public. The hub replaces the PATH train station that was destroyed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which — if you'll recall — was rather a long time ago. Indeed, over 12 years in the making, the new train station is symbol of both governmental waste and architectural excess. Its centerpiece is the Oculus, a mind-boggling glass-and-steel structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to look like a dove in flight, but it actually more closely resembles a pair of ragged claws, scuttling across the sands of Lower Manhattan.

Critics have blasted the hub for its massive cost overruns ($4 billion in public money) and lack of anything resembling a traditional train station (ticket machines, clocks, maps). But its existence is significant, if only because the hub represents the type of ambitious open spaces that used to exemplify public transit in the US. Grotesquely expensive, sure. Tough on the eyes, no question. But at least we all get to share in the spectacle.

Photos: Amelia Krales