When the new One World Observatory opens next month, those riding the superfast elevator to the top will get a visual treat. It's lined in HD monitors, presenting the illusion that the elevator is glass; as it first rises from the ground floor, riders see Manhattan as it was in the 1500s. And as it ascends, a counter displays the year ticking upwards, while the convincing CG shows Manhattan accordingly sprouting up around you.

It's chilling to see Tower Two briefly blink in and out of existence. As the Times reports,

There would have been no way around Sept. 11, 2001, said David W. Checketts, the chairman and chief executive of Legends Hospitality, the company chosen by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in 2013 to operate the three-level observatory.

"The event is certainly a key part of history," he said. "We did not think you could ignore it. Having it appear in the year it did and disappear in the year it did was the respectful way of addressing the fact that it was part of the landscape." Two World Trade Center was the site of the original observatory.

The video animation is beautifully done, and looks a lot better than the version shown last year:

One World Observatory is scheduled to open its doors on May 29th.