NEW YORK— Six blocks from the World Trade Center, managers of the two-year-old The Regent Hotel on Wall Street, located in a 160-year-old building, were preparing for a busy week. The 144-room hotel, despite having no power September 11 as a result of the terrorist attacks, still managed to provide shelter for a number of displaced travelers. After receiving two tractor trailer-sized generators on September 12, the hotel quickly became an around-the-clock relief center known for being the only place within blocks able to serve hot food. By Thursday, the ballroom was serving 3,000 meals per day to police and rescue workers. More were delivered from the hotel to the rubble pile where they were working. A dozen cots and two dozen beds were set up in the hotel’s ballrooms as well, and bathrooms were opened for rescuers. Currently undergoing an extensive cleaning, which included air conditioning ducts, bedding, curtains, and furniture, The Regent is slated to reopen Friday, Sept. 28. SOURCE: CNN.com
