Often, a day in history is remembered for many reasons. There are certain world events that etch themselves into one’s mind and history books forever and September 11, 2001, was no exception. Many lives were affected by the horrific events that day in New York. In just a few short hours, thousands of people lost their lives and millions of people from around the world were affected when one of the world’s great tragedies unfolded before our eyes.
Today the original World Trade Center site sits as a 9/11 memorial dedicated to all who lost their lives. A moving museum spanning four stories underground with a timeline of events and artefacts from the day to honour the memories of the many people killed. From a scene of complete ruin and devastation has now raised a stunning piece of architecture with the new One World Trade Center building – more commonly known as Freedom Tower.
September 9, 2001…
Like many people around the world, I remember the day vividly. In fact, we had flown on United Airlines (one of the two airlines that lost aircraft that day) from Chicago to Paris on September 9, just two days prior to the tragic events.
We hailed a taxi to make our way from the Paris Opera House to Sacre-Coeur when in French we listened to the story unfolding over the radio station. While not able to speak French, but through a dialogue of broken English and hand gestures with the taxi driver, we soon realised that something enormous was taking place. We quickly found a public pay-phone to call back to America for confirmation.
We had issues in securing a phone connection between the two countries with several attempts required before success. With the French news report confirmed, we quickly jumped back into a taxi and headed to our hotel. Like millions of viewers worldwide, we watched the day’s events unfold in silent disbelief for countless hours.
What started as a 10-day vacation, was suddenly interrupted by terrorist activity.
The National September 11 (9/11) Memorial Museum
The memorial grounds are open grounds for all to visit. The memorial gardens cover a city block of the original World Trade Center with trees and grassed areas surrounding the large pools where the footprints of the towering buildings once stood. Well maintained and preserved, the area is a fitting tribute to the nearly three thousand lives lost.
Etched into the square edges of the memorial pools are the names of the lives that were lost from the September 11 attacks, plus the underground car-park bombing on 26 February, 1993 (the first attack of the World Trade Center) where 6 people lost their lives and over 1,000 were injured.
The Tridents
Upon entering the museum, visitors are greeted with a pair of large ‘trident’ steel columns that formed the base of the buildings unique structure prior to making their way downstairs. Here either the paid guided tour starts or the self-guided tours can commence at any time.
16 minutes prior to the attack…
The guided tour started with a photo taken of the lower Manhattan skyline from across the river in Brooklyn around 0830am, approximately sixteen minutes prior to the first aircraft (American Flight 11) hitting the first tower at 0846am. Immediately notable in the photo is the clear blue skies and visibility of what looked to be the makings of a beautiful New York City day. We were then taken through a series of video walls with voice accounts reflecting on the day.
Survivor staircase
Making our way to the next level down we pass the ‘survivor staircase’ which was one of the several stairwells many people escaped from. The bottom edge of this staircase was severely damaged when the building collapsed.
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The last column to be removed
A large room with the original outer walls still intact is entered where the last column to be removed from ground zero takes center stage. This is one of the most recognised symbols of 9/11, covered with graffiti from the site workers and rescue teams. This column became a symbol of remembrance and is visible from several levels.
82nd-floor glass panel
I was struck by one particular exhibit which was a pane of glass from the 82nd-floor of the south tower that had survived both the initial impact and the collapse of the tower. Amongst all the destruction of that day, to see a pane of glass that was untouched and in-tact seemed quite remarkable.
Radio tower
Moving to the next exhibit, resting below the north tower memorial pool above, was the remnants of a portion of the radio tower recovered from the rubble that sat on top of the north tower.
Elevator shaft motor
Next to the radio tower was an elevator shaft motor also recovered from the rubble. The motor was most likely from one of the express or service elevators from inside the north tower.
New York Fire Department Ladder Company 3
One of the largest displays of wreckage included the New York Fire Department Ladder Company 3 fire truck. This truck was based in the East Village neighborhood and was one of the first dispatched to the World Trade Center which parked on West Street, near Vesey Street.
At the time of the building collapse, the front part of the truck was parked underneath a pedestrian walkway which collapsed on top of the front end of the fire truck when the towers fell.
Folded steel columns
One of the recovered south tower columns, most likely between floors 30 to 33, had folded over itself during the collapse of the building due to the immense forced stress and weight of the building collapse. Three of the four welds that held the column together had split open.
Other museum exhibits
There are several other exhibits housing a countless array of artefacts. Unfortunately, photography was not permitted inside. These were self-guided exhibition halls that walked you through different events of the day including a dedicated area for both the Pentagon and Flight 93 Pennsylvania tragedies.
Historical Exhibition
Inside the historical expedition, three parts are covered; the day of 9/11, before 9/11 (the background leading up to the events) and after 9/11 (examines the aftermath and continued implications).
Memorial Exhibition
Inside this exhibition, the lives of the nearly 3,000 people that were lost are commemorated by the “Wall of Faces” along a corridor with portrait photographs of every victim. The exhibit is designed to communicate the scale of human loss. Touchscreen tables offer additional information about each person which include photographs and audio from family, friends and co-workers. this is a difficult room to experience, but one worthy exhibit.
One World Trade Center today…
Colloquially referred to as ‘Freedom Tower’, the new legal name of the 104 storey building is One World Trade Center. Located on the original site of Six World Trade Center, the reflecting glass building is officially the tallest building in Manhattan and the fourth tallest in the world.
This memorial is tastefully done and serves as a reminder of the senseless terrorist attacks of 9/11. I did struggle through certain sections of the museum and was not able to visit every exhibition. I found it very emotional and hard to view some of the artefacts such as parts of aircraft, ID’s of people who had lost their lives and some of the images and audio are very confronting. Some displays show a warning sign prior to entry due to the graphic contents inside.
I do recommend visiting this museum and I will one day return. As a caution, some exhibits are very distressing and confrontational with several visitors on my tour displaying raw emotions. There are graphic scenes, images, audio and artefacts that make up the museum which all serve as a realistic reminder.
HOT TIP: Buy your tickets online prior to visit as the lines and wait times can be long regardless of the day of the week. I would recommend the guided tour as it gave a great perspective of the museum and background information. Our guide Matt was very knowledgeable and understanding.
OPENING HOURS
Note new opening hours during the Covid pandemic has been reduced to five days per week – closed Tuesday and Wednesday currently.
9/11 Memorial – Daily 10am to 5pm
9/11 Memorial Museum – Daily 10am to 5pm
Some holiday times have extended hours
GENERAL ADMISSION (Note: currently only open to fully vaccinated visitors in accordance to Key to NYC requirements)
Adult: $26.00
Senior (65+): $20.00
U.S. Veteran: $18.00
U.S. College Student: $20.00
Youth (7-12)*: $15.00
Youth (13-17)*: $20.00
*Children under the age of 6 are free.
FDNY/NYPD/PAPD: $12.00 with valid ID
9/11 Family Members: Free
Museum Members: Free with valid membership
9/11 Rescue and Recovery Workers: Free with registration
Active/Retired U.S. Military: Free with a valid ID
More information and tour bookings are available here.
GUIDED TOUR – UNDERSTANDING 9/11
Adult: $46.00
Senior (65+): $40.00
U.S. Veteran: $38.00
U.S. College Student: $40.00
Youth (7-12)*: $35.00
Youth (13-17)*: $40.00
LOCATION
Located in lower Manhattan, the World Trade Center memorial and museum are at the intersection of Liberty Street and Greenwich Street, the intersection of Liberty Street and West Street and the intersection of West Street and Fulton Street.
Public transport is recommended as access to lower Manhattan can be restricted.
TRAVEL BY SUBWAY:
A, C, 1, 2, 3 to Chambers Street
A, C, J, Z, 2, 3, 4, or 5 trains to Fulton Street
2 or 3 trains to Park Place
E train to World Trade Center
R train to Rector Street
R train to Cortlandt Street
1 train to Rector Street
TRAVEL BY BUS:
M5 Southbound: get off at Broadway and Thames Street
M5 Northbound: get off at Trinity Place and Rector Street
M20 Southbound: get off on South End Avenue between Liberty Street and Albany Street
M22 Southbound: get off on Vesey Street between North End Ave. and West Street
BY PATH (WEEKDAYS ONLY):
The PATH train serves the World Trade Center terminal from multiple points in New Jersey. If traveling by car from New Jersey or other points west, the Harrison PATH station is a convenient location to park in an adjacent parking facility and take PATH to the World Trade Center.
BY FERRY:
Ferry service is available from Midtown Manhattan, New Jersey, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
New York Water Taxi
East River Ferry Service
NY Waterway
Staten Island Ferry
Statue Cruises
BY CAR:
Lower Manhattan is difficult to navigate by car, and on-street parking is extremely limited. The Memorial does not provide parking. If traveling by car from New Jersey or other points west, the Harrison PATH station is a convenient location to park in an adjacent parking facility and take PATH to the World Trade Center.
List of garages available for parking:
Parking Facilities in NYC
Check current street conditions before you drive:
Lower Manhattan Construction Information
DOT Traffic Advisories
TAXI AND SHARE RIDES:
The closest taxi stands to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum are located on West Street and Liberty Street and on Vesey Street at West Street. All taxicabs and share ride companies should be familiar with the closest drop-off.
Thanks for the mini tour of a most memorable day.