The Oculus and Calatrava in particular received intense criticism for being $2 billion over budget and for years of construction delays. Nonetheless, the structure impresses visitors with its singular aesthetic impact. The New York Times critic Michael Kimmelman while calling it a "dino carcass" and "an unconscionable $4 billion in public funds" also noted "standing inside the Oculus and gazing up is a jaw-dropper."

Jimmy Stamp in The Guardian criticized the price tag and called the skeletal wings both "grotesque and alluring." Yet he, too, indicated awe in "staring up at a clear blue sky between bone-white ribs vaulting 160 feet over my head." Stamp compared himself to Jonah in the whale.

Referred to as the Oculus, the Westfield Word Trade Center or the World Trade Center Transportation Hub, the development spans 800,000 square feet. Westfield Corporation operates and manages the shopping center with 365,000 square feet of retail space, housing 120 stores with 87 currently open. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey built and operates the PATH rail system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority subway system has 13 lines at the terminal.

Approximately 350,000 people come to the Oculus each day. 75,000 commuters use the PATH trains. 150,000 are MTA subway riders. The rest are tourists, shoppers and other visitors. However, the goals of the operators do not always perfectly mesh.

"The Port Authority wants to get people in and out, commuting from home to work and back," said Battle. Thus, there are not benches and chairs, encouraging people to linger. Due to security reasons there are no garbage bins.

However, in addition to the active maintenance crews, Battle said people tend not to litter. He observes visitors as being more respectful of the history and memorials that are part of the area. The original transportation network beneath the prior World Trade Center was destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.

Battle took the CREW New York guests to the FordHub, which provided an example of experiential shopping. Instead of selling cars, the hub markets itself as a mobility center to provide information about the future of transportation. In addition to experiencing simulated driverless car rides and examining a wall of 5,000 miniature Ford cars, visitors can build their own Lego characters. Ford is trying innovative ways to engage people with their company, at the mall.

Crossing the outdoor plaza, near One World Trade Center, visitors can stop by the 9/11 memorial fountains. Titled "Reflecting Absence," they somberly run 30 feet deep into the footprints of the twin towers. A pear tree damaged at Ground Zero survived. Named the "Survivors Tree" it was replanted at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum site.

Crossing West Street from the Westfield Mall, visitors will reach Brookfield Place. Brookfield Office Properties built the shopping center at the former World Financial Center. The developers also connected the two malls with an underground passage. Battle noted this mall caters to a different population, without the direct commuter traffic and with fewer tourists than Westfield. The World Financial Center atrium was severely damaged in the 9/11 attacks but has been restored as the Winter Garden.