It's a must. That's all I can say. It took me six years to build up the courage and despite the construction site where once there was such destruction, I still found it moving. Make the time to come to this site.

I’ve taken several trips into New York since September 11th, but have managed to avoid this area. Like most people that day fills me with more emotions then I can put into words. I lived in Pennsylvania and remember listening for the sound of the lost plane that was lost over my state. I remember sitting in graphic design when the department secretary came in to tell us that a plane hit the World Trade Center. I remember when it wasn’t an accident and it became an attack. I remember trying to track down friends who were to be in the towers that day. I remember sitting with my career counselor as she got the call that her son missed his flight earlier that day and wasn’t on Flight 93. I listened to my teacher describe the sight he saw as he stood nearby the towers. I remember being in New York a month later and witnessing a funeral for three police officers who were never found. I remember as the limos drove to the church a small toddler hanging out the back holding a picture of his father. I remember the street was so quiet that I could hear a conversation on the other side of the road. I remember my friends telling me the ground zero was still full of smoke. During this trip to New York I realized that I needed to put my demons to rest.

Once the tallest buildings on Earth after they were built in 1972, the Twin Towers were built to bring back companies to the financial district. It worked. On any given day 50,000 people came to work at the World Trade Center and 200,000 visitors were in the building making a grand total of 250,000 people on any given day.

Today the sight of ground zero is nothing more then a dozen cranes rebuilding the area. A fence surrounds the construction sight leaving very little to be seen. A few holes in the tarp give a view of what is happening on the other side. If you cross the street and go up the stairs to the building on the other side there is a small, decorative platform about three feet tall. Standing on this platform gives a great view into the construction area. Other then that there isn’t much to see. People walk by with only a few tourists stopping to look. When leaving my grandmother commented on how she was surprised that nothing was built there yet. I know that they are working to finalize plans, but what memorial can be placed there to properly pay tribute to the events that happened? Ground Zero isn’t a site to go see to say you were there. It is a place to reflect; a place to let go. A place where life can be put into perspective and leave everyone with a new understanding of the world that we live and a reason to look for the good.

Unless you saw the twin towers when they were standing, I wouldn’t recommend a trip to ground zero, because to the untrained eye it just looks like a huge hole in the ground. I, however, had very strong memories of the building from my trip to the city the summer before 9/11. The gaping emptiness of it all is striking. Gone is the beautiful courtyard in which my family stood in awe of the towering towers. Gone is the professional New York lobby, lined with flags. Gone is the TKS booth where we bought our amazing tickets to my first Broadway show, Beauty and the Beast. And gone is that magnificent and terrifying (I’m afraid of heights) view of New York from the top platform. It wont take long a lot of time, 15 to 20 minutes just to look down and mourn for the greatness lost, and the memories that will forever live in our hearts.

At the time of our visit, Ground Zero was still being demolished and preparing for its rebirth.

 

Everywhere you looked around the site there were memorials to the lives lost on September 11th. From stuffed animals, to flowers, to photographs, to unique items whose true meaning would only be known by the person who left it there and the person to whom they were remembering.

 

Of particular interest were the hundreds of badges left by firemen, police, and other service people in the line of duty. Both those that served the city on that day, and those from other cities, states and countries that wanted to pay their respect to the heroic actions that took place.

 

When we visited, there were several people looking at the mementos left around the site and surveying the progress of those responsible for clean-up and demolition. Among the visitors was Kobe Bryant, who took time to take photos with some naval officers who were also there.

 

The site promises to be an important stop on any tour of New York City, both to pay respect and to view the progress of the massive rebuild project whose completion is not expected until 2009.

We were privileged to be in New York during the third anniversary of 9/11. Our hotel was opposite Ground Zero, so we only had to walk outside to appreciate the atmosphere. We went out after breakfast and were confronted by lots of people milling around, paying respect, and getting ready for the ceremony. We had to walk round to the opposite side of Ground Zero, as the side our hotel was on was set aside for friends and relatives of those who perished. When we got around the other side, there were quite a few people but not as many as I had expected. Inside the site, many police and fire fighters were standing and waiting for the ceremony to start. At the time of the first plane’s impact, the church bells rang and a minute’s silence started -- you could hear a pin drop. Then, relatives of the victims started to read out the names of those who died. They were read in alphabetical order by last name. Each of the men and women reading the names had to give the names of their own relatives, and this was exceptionally hard to listen to, as they often broke down or had to be helped by husbands and wives to finish their sentences. It was absolutely heartbreaking, and I, along with many others present, could not contain my emotions. Even now, as I write this and remember the event, it still brings a lump to my throat and a tear to my eye. There was another silence at the time of the second impact and the name-reading continued.

 

 

The police officers and firefighters who were present were crying, and after nearly an hour, we could take it no longer. We left the area, as it was simply too emotional. We felt extremely guilty doing this, but it was just too much to take. I cannot begin to imagine how the friends and relatives of the victims felt. Although I didn’t know anyone involved in 9/11, I feel as though I knew them all. I still remember first seeing the sight of the plane crashing into the second tower on TV whilst at work, after my husband had phoned to tell me what was happening. I also remember driving home that evening, listening to the radio and having to pull over on several occasions, as I could not see to drive through the tears. I am so glad that we were able to be in New York at this time and to share in their grief and their hope for the future.