"No day shall ever erase you from the memory of time."-Virgil. We all know about the tragedy that was September 11th, 2001. It was horrific, devastating, and life altering to all Americans. And it changed New York forever.
But what some people might not know is how moving the 9/11 Memorial and Museum are. I've been twice, and both times I cried pathetically. Aside from the tears, I didn't realize how emotionally connected I would become to the event. I never really thought twice about it... We were taught the details in our history classes and we saw it on the news. But I felt a pit in my stomach while walking through the museum, almost as if I understood the pain and suffering of the locals.
While walking through the 9/11 Museum, I grasped how truly traumatizing the terrorist attack was, especially for New Yorkers. There are recordings of people who were on the flights, in the building, and on the streets when the attack happened. Those alone will make your heart drop. News reporters that had been recording live when the planes crash are shown suddenly stopping, listening to the little bud in their ear, and their jaws dropping. There are even clips of late night TV hosts like Jimmy Fallon touching on the topic of the attack and you can just tell how shaken up they are. Some people threw pieces of paper out of the windows of the building with cries for help written on them. Seeing those letters will forever be encrypted in my mind.
As you round the corner, you see one of the actual firetrucks that was used to combat the flames from the buildings. On the side of the truck is a plaque with a story about one of the firemen. This man was off on the day of the attack. He was driving home and just so happened to have his gear in the trunk. When he heard the news, he parked his car where it was, grabbed his gear, and ran miles to the World Trade Center. Firefighter equipment is extremely heavy so you can imagine how much passion this man had for his city to even consider running miles in September heat straight into smoke, debris, and a falling building. This man died for his country on his day off instead of going home to his wife and children.
There were so many things I didn't know about the event until walking through the museum. I always just assumed that Ground Zero was just another name for 9/11. Ground Zero was an entirely different event; it was a bombing of one of the basements in the World Trade Center. Six people died, one was a pregnant woman. The Ground Zero memorial was also destroyed in 9/11. Now, a few pieces from that memorial reside inside of the 9/11 museum next to shards of glass, seat belts, and people's personal belongings from the plane crash.
New York is the most magical place in the world. It's filled with dreamers and doers and explorers and movers. Nothing will ever compare to the feeling one gets when they see their first Broadway play, walk through the Metropolitan Museum for the first time, or even just see the Statue of Liberty in person. But that magic was minimized when the airplanes crashed into Tower One and Two of the World Trade Center. There's almost an eery feeling that lingers over downtown Manhattan. No memorial can ever bring back the energy and spirit that was there before it, but it sure as hell gives it justice.
This is the only remaining wall of building two of the WTC. The bottom of the building was built underground, so luckily the impact of the plane didn't knock it down when the rest of the building fell.
This is one of the only foundation pieces from the building that remained standing. Attached to it are photos of the police officers, firemen, and some missing person reports to commemorate some of the people lost in the attack.
This staircase at the north end of the towers withstood the crash. The "Survivor Stairs" were given the name because it helped hundreds of people escaped unscathed outside of the building.
If you're in New York this week (or any week, for that matter), please make it a point to visit the 9/11 Memorial. Pay homage to the people of the disaster and to the city of New York.
