HELIOLITH

In mid-September 2001, NPR had a segment about a website called Mr. Beller’s Neighborhood. Specifically, the show was referring listeners to the WTC portion of the site, where a number of stories cluster. I looked up the url, discovered a brilliantly democratic and New York loving place to tell and read stories, share history, and found an old friend. A girl I went to high school with actually studied with Mr. Beller (he taught English at Columbia) and got a spot as an editor on his project. In addition, she worked as a contributing writer for the site, and I recognized her name on one of the stories.
The main page is an aerial map of New York City, and as you move the mouse over the map, different neighborhoods light up. If you hover over Brooklyn, it will take you into the western neighborhoods, including mine (I can actually pinpoint my block and almost my building from the zoomed-in view) and you can read those stories. Each dot is a story, and you can click on it to read all different New York experiences.