How starved is the city for any tangible progress at ground zero? Well, consider this bit from today's Times:

Stand on Vesey Street, between Greenwich and Washington Streets. Look through the chain-link fences and over the Jersey barriers. The tops of six columns of the tower’s south perimeter are now visible, sprouting from the depths of ground zero. A seventh column, standing alone nearby, is where the Freedom Tower’s east plaza will be …

They are visible from the sidewalk now because a second tier of steel has been added to each column, bringing them up to about 8 feet below street level.

That's right, reporter David Dunlap gives you step-by-step instructions on where to stand, which way to face, and how hard to squint to see the thicket of steel that will eventually become the foundation for the Freedom Tower. Imagine the corks that will pop when the construction actually reaches sidewalk level.

What a View to Behold, and It's Really Something [NYT]