Tribute in Light

6:01 AM

6:23 AM

In Memory Of...

 




  
Self-proclaimed greatest fan of Whitney Houston, Gwyn Hayes was in the process of making sure the memorial would be able to handle the elements of the weather, including the windiness of today, when I stopped by, so I helped her secure some of the roses and posters with duct tape.





  




  



 
  

In the marquee, the Apollo Theater also paid tribute to
Don Cornelius, A Soul Music Legend
1936 - 2012

Happy 71st Birthday, John

photo taken this past July

Prince and Greene

9/11 Memorial

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)

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.

You can reserve your visitor pass here.

A Look Back at Ten Years Ago

The last time I went up one of the World Trade Centers was to visit my friend, Shiala, on 8/11/00 who worked for Morgan Stanley at the time.  She was one of the fortunate few running late to work that day but was unfortunate to witness the devastation first-hand.

Here's a look back, with a small fraction of the photos I took
that week accompanied with some brief thoughts -
I actually wrote my thoughts in a journal, but I do not have it with me at this time:
(photos are scanned negatives)

Tuesday 9/11/01: The Day Of

I was one of the few who did not get to witness the event unravel as it happened.  Having just moved to Boston, I came back down to attend the Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 reunion at Madison Square Garden the night before.  I had stayed up all night posting photos on my first website, going to bed nearly around 6am.  Even with the barrage of phone calls I heard that morning, which all eventually went to voicemail, I ignored them and didn't get up, being so tired.  It wasn't until around some time after the second tower fell that I finally decided to get up and see what all the hubbub was.  Needless to say, I was stunned, hearing all the voicemails and turning the tv on...but I was not paralyzed as I rushed to get as far south as I could to see it with my own eyes.

I couldn't travel much further south as streets were barricaded.  The George Washington Bridge was closed and an eerie sight without the traffic of cars.

The television was on almost 24/7 as my family and I sat catatonic the next couple days.

The Days That Followed

My brother and I ventured into the city that Thursday or Friday - I can't remember for sure - but we wanted to get out, we needed to get out...

Lower Manhattan was still covered in a cloud of dust and debris

The enormity of the destruction is barely visible behind the lingering smoke.

Storefronts displayed their condolences

Support

On the West Side Highway, volunteers were in full effect supporting those working endlessly to find survivors and help clean up what was now called "Ground Zero".  We offered our help and lended both nutritional and moral support to the numerous volunteer workers who walked to and from the site.  Many of these same workers are those that are currently rebuilding the World Trade Center.

Sorting through donations

Debris was carried away in large dump trucks.

Murals of Hope

The following day, I walked around the city and was truly overwhelmed by the number of postings of loved ones called "Murals of Hope".  It was so hard not to get choked up - your heart just ached.

Union Square Becomes a Shrine

I made my way to Union Square which had turned into
a place of hope, prayer and remembrance.

I am # 308

After walking around for sometime, trying to comprehend the events that occurred, I sat down to listen to artists, musicians, poets and those who had something to say.  When one of the performers started to sing "America the Beautiful," I could not help but break down into tears, not just the rolling tears, but full-on sobbing.  Even to this day, when I hear that song, I will always remember how it brought me to tears and why.

Red White and Blue

Self-portrait with my brother (left) and our friend David

my bedroom window at my parents' house

Ditto that, Brooke.


With the new rising World Trade Center changing the skyline and the memorial complete, I hope the families and friends of those lost loved ones can finally start
to heal and find some peace.

"Honoring the past, building the future..."