The view was the draw at Windows on the World. (Photo courtesy of CNN Films.)
I
n a 1976 New York magazine cover story by restaurant critic Gael Greene, Windows on the World was declared “the Most Spectacular Restaurant in the World.” The lofty, if admittedly hyperbolic, title was one the just-opened restaurant on the 106th and 107th floors of the newly built World Trade Center’s North Tower intended to live up to. And not just because of its perch more than 1,000 feet above Manhattan and sweeping views. At its peak, it was one of the highest-grossing restaurants in the country and remains one of the most influential.
Timed to the 25th anniversary of September 11th, the documentary Top of the World premieres this Friday for a limited theatrical run before airing on CNN on September 7th. It’s an obituary of the restaurant, its employees, and the story of its survivors. Long before tragedy struck, the restaurant had made its mark on New York.
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