These are photos taken from yesterday evening:
Our timed visitor pass was for 6pm, but I was running late after having been in midtown to visit the 5th Avenue Apple Store. Luckily we had until 6:45pm to enter. We briefly stopped by the Occupy Wall Street demonstration nearby before going through a maze of security to enter the memorial.
6:27pm view from near the entrance, sun just about to set
This place is beautiful.
A stark contrast to the actual events that took place here.
When you first enter, all you hear are the quiet mumblings of visitors, the calming sound of cascading water and in the distance, the buzzing of construction equipment. As you move closer to the pools, you get mesmerized by the sight and sound of the waterfalls, allowing deeper reflection to take place. The names, the enormity of the pools...it's all very sobering. The eerie dark bottomless square in the center, a large hole that could never be filled.
A piece of paper had been dropped through one of the engraved names - on it was written "Daddy"
South Tower Memorial Pool
two seven-story tall tridents that were part of the original façade of the Twin Towers
installed in the 9/11 Memorial Museum
(more info on installation)
(more info on installation)
North Tower Memorial Pool
About 400 swamp white oak trees were planted - each can reach 60 to 80 feet at maturity, live as long as 300 to 350 years, and are golden-leafed in the fall. The "Survivor Tree" (tree on the right) is a callery pear that survived the devastation as well as being hit by lightning in 2010. It currently stands at around 35 feet tall. (wikipedia)
After we finished walking around, we sat down, soaked it all in and envisioned the future.
All the hustle and bustle of people in the area again, enjoying lunch breaks outside, admiring the new towering structures and transportation hub, always remembering.
It'll be nothing short of amazing.
