A Visit to the 9/11 Memorial in New York City

Where were you, on the morning of 9/11/01,

when you heard that two planes crashed into the North and South Towers 
of the World Trade Center?

I was living in NYC at the time, and on my way to work.

It was shortly after 9:00am, 
when I got off the bus at 5th Avenue and 43rd Street.

 I wondered why there were so many people outside, looking up to the sky.

When I saw smoke, I figured there was a fire somewhere.
I walked over to the fruit vendor on the corner,

who asked me if I heard about the planes 
that had crashed into the World Trade Center.

Suddenly, I was terrified. 

I remember running to my office in a panic.

Because I worked for a TV network, we had televisions in our offices,
and I heard the news reports blaring out of every office,

people crowded into each one...as made my way down the hall.

I could see the smoke outside of my window all the way from downtown. 

We watched in horror, as a third plane crashed into the Pentagon...

and a fourth went down in Pennsylvania.

When will it stop?
What next?

The South Tower collapsed.

The North Tower collapsed. 

I remember thinking that at some point that I would collapse, as well. 

We worked through the day, because our television programming 
needed to be adjusted due to the tragedy.

When I finally left the office, at about 6pm, 

I walked through midtown, which had become a ghost town.

I was the only person on 5th Avenue, and felt like I was in one of those movies, where all life was gone in NYC.

It was the most eerie feeling, and I was petrified.

Thinking I'd have to walk all the way home to the Upper East Side,

I almost cried with relief when a bus appeared. 

Mr. Goo Shoes opened the apartment door, 

and I pretty much did collapse in his arms.

 
I've been wanting to go see the 9/11 Memorial and Museum 
(I'll show you the museum in another post),

so, when Junior Goo Shoes had a day off from school on Friday, 

we headed into the city. 
Even though he learns about the 9/11 attacks in school,
we thought it was important for him to see where it actually all happened.

After all these years, I still can't get used to the Manhattan skyline 
without the twin towers looming at the southern end.  

As we were driving down the West Side Highway on Friday,

with the new Freedom Tower in sight, 

we were telling Junior Goo Shoes what it was like on that day.
He was only two, at the time. 

Thirteen years later, it still chokes us up to talk about it.

 The former site of the World Trade Center complex is now a park-like setting, 

housing the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. 

The  Memorial consists of two reflecting pools,

built on the footprints of where the original towers previously stood.

South Tower Reflecting Pool

 

North Tower Reflecting Pool

They are about an acre in size, and surrounded by man-made waterfalls. 

The architects who designed the space intended the pools to be "large voids, open and visible reminders of the absence."

The names of all who perished in the attacks are inscribed on the panels 
surrounding the pools.

So many.

Over 400 Swamp White Oak trees surround the memorial plaza,

representing renewal.

Among those trees, there is one tree that stands out as being different.

It's known as the Survivor Tree.

 

It was discovered at the Ground Zero site a month after the attacks, 

and was practically dead.

The NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation removed the tree to care for it, 

and nine years later, it was returned to the plaza, healthy and strong.

 It is a "living reminder of resilience, survival and rebirth."

We found it fascinating that it was the only tree in the plaza 
that still had green leaves. 

Looming behind the Memorial Plaza is the newly completed 
One World Trade Center, aka, the Freedom Tower.

It  has the distinction of being the tallest skyscraper in the US, 
and just opened last week. 

The reflections of clouds in the mirrored facade make it blend into the sky.

Here's another view, as we drove by it on our way home,
now with gray skies as the backdrop.

It's hard to believe, but this was our first trip down to Ground Zero 
since the attacks.
Equally unreal, I had only been there once before, many, many years ago,
for drinks at Windows on the World,
which occupied the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower.

Everything gone. 

New landmarks where iconic ones once stood.

Even 13 years later, it's painful to remember...
yet, we must never forget.

Linking with:
Weekend Travel Inspiration
Our World Tuesday