Peter Sabesan, principal at Hunter Realty Corp., an outside observer of the negotiations with knowledge of Silverstein and the PA, says that such rumors are hard to swallow. "The Port Authority is so straight and honorable. They're always checking their leasing contracts, and because they're a government agency, there's no one person who's going to benefit from crooked dealings."

Sabesan says that those who work Downtown are happy with the PA's decision to go with Silverstein. "He's just more broker-friendly," says Sabesan. Although Vornado did come through with the higher bid, Silverstein's initial down payment was $100 million more--an offering that may have proved instrumental in the PA's reversal. This time around, the PA is not making the "waiting period" official public knowledge in an effort to avoid a "media circus," but a source with the PA tells GlobeSt.com Silverstein will be afforded the same 20 days Vornado had for negotiations and that the parties involved are working around the clock to hammer out a deal.

The topic of the World Trade Center's sale has been a contentious one from the beginning. For approximately one year the two states were in a deadlock--among other reasons, New York State wanted the rights to sell the World Trade Center. New Jersey wanted key renovations to secure Maersk-Sealand's headquarters in Port Elizabeth. Last May, the parties reached an accord. It does not seem, however, that the drama surrounding the World Trade Center is going to continue for much longer.