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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 12, 2001
NEW YORK -- Tours resumed Thursday at the United Nations, the latest city attraction to reopen to visitors. But the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island remain closed and officials won't say when the two symbols of freedom will open their doors.
"It might be a week from now, or a year from now," National Park Service spokesman Brian Feeney said. "We had to take a completely different look" at security after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
City tourism officials estimate New York has lost at least $237-million in hotel, restaurant and Broadway show revenue from out-of-towners since the attacks. The statue and immigration museum in New York's harbor attracted 5.5-million visitors alone last year.
Most attractions near the catastrophe in lower Manhattan have reopened, including the South Street Seaport. The observation deck of the Empire State Building, which was closed as a precaution, and the Circle Line sightseeing boats, which ran into a ban on nonessential shipping, are back with reduced schedules.
Many throughout the city took time for memorial services, noting the passing of a month since the trade center was leveled.
The number of missing and dead stands at more than 5,000.
"We will always remember them," Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said during a service near the rubble that included a moment of silence at 8:48 a.m., when the first hijacked jetliner struck. "And to them we will dedicate the rebuilding of New York, and making certain that we do not allow the terrorists in any way to affect our spirit."
At Ground Zero, the smoldering pile of about 1.2-million tons of debris has slowly shrunk. About 258,710 tons -- nearly 16,000 truckloads -- have been hauled away to a former Staten Island landfill.