While in NYC last week, Melissa and I took a walk from our hotel down to the financial district and the 911 Memorial, which was a first for me. After watching the horrors of 9/11 online and on TV when it was all happening, it was really surreal to see this area in person for the first time and to imagine the absolute devastation that this city experienced during this horrific time in American history. It was very moving, seeing the memorial pools in person and the etched names of the victims on the walls. There is still more to rebuild in this area, but they are well on their way to finishing up.
There is a new Freedom tower which we saw standing tall and proud and we stood in line to see the memorial pools in person. I had long wanted to see this and couldn’t pass up the chance since I was so close this trip.
Along the way, I had to take pics of some of the magnificent buildings in NYC. The architecture and skyscrapers are amazing.
Love to see the old buildings and just how much ambience this city has.
An old cemetery on the way to the Financial District.
Getting into the memorial is free, but you do have to wait in line and go through a security check. The memorial pools are built on the footprint of the twin towers that fell. Amazing how much ground this whole area covers and you can feel the magnitude of how large it is when you see the pools in person.
The new Freedom Tower.
Inside the Memorial and one of the 2 memorial pools that have been built in memory of the victims of 9/11.
Names are etched all around the walls of both memorial pools.
They are so large and you really get a feel for how big those towers were. I couldn’t imagine the horrors that this city faced that day and what devastation occurred after the buildings fell. We all remember where we were and what we were doing when we got the news that day.
The magnitude of the pools.
I’m sure this 9/11 Memorial will always be busy as people who come to NY want to come and see it in person. I certainly was drawn to see it and I’m so glad I did. If you ever get to NYC, I would urge you to also see it firsthand for yourself.
Have you been and what did you think?
I have never been to NYC so I have never seen the memorial. Thank you so much for taking these photos & sharing them with us! It looks amazing!
I was there last year and will be going again this summer, this time I want to see the 911 museum which wasn’t finished last year when we were there. We were there in the summer so it was happier looking then as a memorial I think it’s the best they could do, such a sad time! I do love New York though, my bff and I shop and eat in Little Italy and just have a wonderful time when we go!
Such beautiful photos that take my breath away. No one will ever forget, and I pray for the safety of those who work in those towers now.
I haven’t been to NYC in 30 years (wow…feel old typing that!), and have no reason to go in the foreseeable future, but I have always felt that I’d go there again for some reason or another. When (not if) I go, I will definitely be making a point of seeing these sights. Muhammed Atta entered the U.S. here in Maine, in Jackman. He flew out of the airport in South Portland to get to Boston. I was at Maine Medical Center in Portland,(Maine!) that horrific morning, and none of us knew how widespread the attack would be. I didn’t know if we were safe, if my kids who were in school, would be safe. My husband knew one of the men on one of the planes, and he also knows the man who was supposed to fly with him that day, but didn’t. I could go on and on (oh wait, I already have) about the indirect impact that day had on me and my family. Yes, I would, and will go see the Freedom Tower and the Memorial Pools. And I know it will be difficult.
I went to NY about a year after the tragedy. They were still cleaning up the debris it was very quiet and calm that day and it just made you stop and think and try to even comprehend what took place that horrific morning. It was very moving and I look forward to going back to see the New Freedom Tower. Thank you for sharing all your photos.
I have not been and probably won’t since I have strong feelings about flying and live in California. I am touched by the memorial, though.
Rhoda, thank you for such a beautiful post. I am a New Yorker and was at my office in mid-town that dreadful day. I will never forget one second of that day….I arrived at my office a minutes or 2 after 9am and my voicemail at my desk was full from family and friends calling me. My commuter bus that day was late and while we were being attacked I was walking to the office in mid-town along with 100s of other people who still had no idea what was happening in our city just a mile away. To this day, I cry everytime I am down in that area, whether I am walking or driving. I knew people that lost their lives that day but I also know people that were able to get away and their lives were spared. No matter how much time passes, as a New Yorker, we will never get over it, we have just learned to live with it. Again, thank you for your beautiful post.
When I visited the site in 2012, I didn’t expect to be overcome with emotion. It was a beautiful and very busy day in NYC. Yet it was so peaceful at the site. The memories of that horrible day in 2011 began to enter my mind and my heart. I just sat, reflected and prayed a little. But what I didn’t expect to see were so many heavily armed police. They were members of the SWAT team guarding the site. It made me catch my breath.
We visited New York for the first time last summer and visited the memorial. It was very beautiful, and very moving. I wanted to tell you that the church in the photo with the cemetery is St. Paul’s Chapel, where George Washington worshipped before and after his inauguration. Lots of history there – it is very pretty on the inside, too.