Description: Even on my first visit to New York in 2010 I couldn't bring myself to go near the area of the old World Trade Center site. I have always waited for the memorial to open. In December 2011 I went to visit the memorial to pay my respects, and it was a moving afternoon.
We'd spent the morning on a food tour in the East Village. We walked down to the memorial from there. On the way we passed a few fire stations and noticed various memorials and names, which were rather moving in themselves. Eventually working our way down to the memorial, I was pleased to see it was clearly sign posted where you enter the memorial as this is a busy area of New York. After passing through security and lots of walk ways, we finally entered the site.
It was incredibly eerie at first. We can all remember the footage, and seeing those new skyscrapes being built was moving. Despite the memorial being slap bang in New York, the background noise of sirens is easily forgotten and the memorial itself is a place of peace and calm as people remember. The 2 fountains were incredibly moving and it was quite an emotional experience. Not only do you read all the names, but people have left heartfelt messages for their loved ones along with photos, mini flags, flowers and other trinkets inside the names. Incredibly moving.
I visited in the evening and saw the lights come on in these beautiful fountains and it truly was a fitting memorial.
Leaving the site afterwards we went into the museum where again, I found myself quite emotional viewing the 'exhibits' and reading the stories behind them. It was quite a small room crowded full of people, but everyone was silent, all equally feeling incredibly moved by everything.
It's free to visit but you have to book online, and I recommend doing it well in advance. You can also make a donation whilst you apply for the tickets.
Close