Visiting the 9/11 Memorial

Despite the 9/11 Memorial having been open for more than six months -- and despite working so close that I could have visited during my lunch break -- I had never been until just last week. I figured that all of our upcoming visitors would want to see it. My Mom and Dad just happened to be the first since it was unveiled.

The memorial is free, but you do have to reserve tickets online for a given day and time. Ours were for 6:30 p.m. last Friday. Security was fast and surprisingly tight. Practically the only difference between it and an airport is that here, I could leave on my shoes.

The memorial is only partially completed; the museum isn't yet open and the expected 400 oak trees are far from fully grown. There are basically three things to see right now, and they are impressive: The Memorial North Pool, the Memorial South Pool and the Survivor Tree.

The pools feature infinity waterfalls -- it's impossible to see the very bottom -- surrounded by the names of each victim of the attacks, not just at the World Trade Center, but at the Pentagon and the other flights. Each name is carved into bronze and lit from below, creating what I'm sure must be a spectacular display when night falls.

The Survivor Tree is a pear tree that was planted at the World Trade Center plaza in the '70s that survived the attacks, albeit as an 8-foot stump. The tree was transferred to a city park, brought back to life and returned to the site.

Looking at the memorial now, it's difficult to believe that the very same area was a hub of activity just more than a decade ago. I'm eager to return to the 9/11 Memorial both at night and as more becomes open to the public.

One World Trade Center Takes Shape

As I exit the subway station a couple of blocks from work, it's extremely common to see a camera or two pointed in my direction. They're not aimed at me, but rather what's over my shoulder: One World Trade Center.

Nowadays it seems that the Ground Zero site is changing on an almost daily basis. It probably always was, except now those changes are easy to see. The glass panels are higher, the footprint is bigger. According to Wikipedia (not my favorite source, but it's hard to beat for up-to-the-minute information), One World Trade Center's "steel has risen to the 90th floor (1,118 ft), with glass panels reaching the 62nd floor, and concrete flooring rising to the 80th floor" as of Sunday. When it's supposedly done in 2013, Wikipedia says it will be the tallest building in the U.S. at 1,776 feet (get it?).

With stats like those, it's hard to miss. And, with Century 21 practically across the street, the Occupy Wall Street gang just a few blocks away and, of course, the new 9/11 Memorial nearby, both New York City tourists and residents have more reasons than ever to visit Lower Manhattan ... and they do.

Ground Zero, Post Osama bin Laden

Is America safer now that Osama bin Laden is dead?

I'm not sure. But if the crowds that gathered at Ground Zero on Monday are any indication, we're at least happier.

My office is just a block away from Ground Zero, so after work I made a detour to gauge how people were reacting. The only thing more common than news trucks were American flags. A coworker said they were for sale for $2 not far away.

By the time I arrived on the scene shortly after 6 p.m., I would characterize the mood as one of restrained joy. I think most people -- cameras out -- just wanted to be a part of the day. That's good. Out-and-out jubilation would make me uncomfortable. I tend to agree with a quote I saw several friends post on Facebook: "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure." (Note: I've since heard that this was erroneously attributed to Mark Twain. Anyone know?)

But really, my favorite Facebook update of the day included a photo of President Obama in a cool pair of shades with the words: "Sorry it took so long to get you a copy of my birth certificate. I was too busy killing Osama bin Laden."

Tributes stuck in a fence at Ground Zero

Ground Zero: A New Building at Last

The Ground Zero building is the one with the crane on top.

Zigzagging around the tourist-photographers has become a daily part of my morning routine as I exit the subway at Courtland Street, across the street from Ground Zero and a few blocks from work.

I barely pay them any mind nowadays, other than perhaps snickering to myself. I get it -- visiting Ground Zero is a pilgrimage, but you don't have to go to the World Trade Center site to get a photo of a giant crane.

Until, all of a sudden, Ground Zero was more than just a crane.

I looked over my shoulder one morning and was shocked to see anything that even resembled a building -- more than a dozen floors now. I wasn't the only one surprised. At least one other coworker mentioned the same thing.

It's been 10 years since 9/11. The time has flown, yet it's a long time to wait for something to rise from the ashes.

The empty site (looking from the opposite end) in June 2010.

A Ground Zero Mosque That Isn't at Ground Zero

See that big empty space in the photo? That's ground zero just a few months ago. That's also where the mosque you've been hearing so much about lately will not be built.

That's because no one's actually proposing the mosque be built at ground zero. In fact, the mosque would be in an old Burlington Coat Factory two blocks away.

To out-of-towners, two blocks doesn't seem that far. In New York, it might as well be a whole other neighborhood. Actually, in some parts of the city, neighborhoods do stretch only two blocks.

Bay Ridge, where I live, is a nice area of Brooklyn. It's crowded but certainly not the densest part of the city. You want to know how many people live within a two block radius of me? I can't count that high. Seriously? I would guess about 2,500, and I'm probably underestimating. Oh, and that's not even counting all of the restaurants and stores in the same proximity.

Take a look at the map below. Zoom in if you want. I'll wait. I've marked the location of the proposed mosque and community center in relation to the World Trade Center site.


View Larger Map

Can you honestly say that the mosque would be at ground zero? What about the Verizon, Hilton and Century 21 right across the street? And you must think I work at ground zero, too -- my office is almost exactly as far away from the World Trade Center site as the mosque would be. Last I checked, I wasn't working in a construction zone.

But maybe you just don't like the idea of a mosque so close to ground zero. Sorry. There's already one mosque 4 blocks away from ground zero and another 12 blocks away, according to the New York Times.

But you know what? Even if none of that were the case -- even if the backers wanted to build the mosque right in the middle of ground zero -- I'd say go for it. What would we prove by nixing it? Just that we can wave the Constitution and pontificate on the glories of the first amendment when it's easy. But when there's a real challenge -- well, go ahead and pass us some freedom fries.

World Trade Center Site, 9 Years Later

I'm almost ashamed to say that before this month I hadn't truly visited the World Trade Center site for two and a half years. Even then, I just stole some glances through covered fences. I hadn't taken a proper look from a viewing tower since 2003.

Not much has changed since then.

I have mixed feelings about the site. I work less than two blocks away, and I walk by it every day. I may never see the pit, but I see the cranes -- and the dozens of tourists angling for the best photo from the street.

It's safe to say that Sept. 11 affected all Americans, both practically (I have to get to the airport how early?) and emotionally (Just who are our enemies?). But Sept. 11 was a very personal experience for New Yorkers, many of whom don't have to count to six degrees before they're connected to someone who died in the attacks.

So I try not to gawk at the site. That being said, I was curious about how much progress had been made. When my aunt, uncle and cousins came to visit, we found a viewing platform, basically in a mall across the street from the site. It was a study in contrasts. On one side, the dirt and destruction where the towers once stood:


Look in the other direction, and you're in a beautiful shopping center with indoor trees, outdoor seating and what looked to be a view of the Hudson River.


Time moves on. I just wish progress on the site would too. Until then, I'll try my best to commemorate 9/11 and pay my silent respects.

A solemn visit

I work just a little more than a block from the World Trade Center site. It's so close that one person in my office could see people falling from the towers on 9/11. That's what a couple of my co-workers said during our lunch break a week or two ago. They were also remarking that they found it strange -- maybe even disturbing -- that so many people treat the WTC site as a tourist attraction, peaking through plastic sheeting to take a photo of the construction.

So it was with mixed feelings that I visited the site during my break Friday. Sure enough, tourists were everywhere, camera in hand. I couldn't bring myself to take a picture of the wreckage.

It's amazing to think how the area must have changed in the last six years. After it happened, I remember thinking that it might not be worth the worry to live in a big city. But here I am. Time dulls those feelings, for better or for worse.