Ever since the 9/11 memorial opened to the public in September of 2011, I desperately wanted to go, and the opening of the 9/11 museum in May of 2014 piqued my interest even more. This past winter break I was lucky enough to finally spend a day at both memorials, and I will never forget what I saw and learned that day.
What I did not realize until I arrived in New York City is that the museum, outside memorial and Freedom Tower are three separate attractions. The 9/11 museum is a building which holds hundreds, if not thousands, of artifacts from that horrific morning in 2001. Located near the museum are two reflecting pools which form the blueprints of where the Twin Towers once stood. Finally, the Freedom Tower, officially titled the "One World Trade Center," towers over everything in sight. Combined, the three attractions create a respectful and touching memorial.
When I first arrived on the site in New York City, I spent some time at the reflecting pools. Although the pools are very similar to one another, it was a lot to take in. Sketched on the edges of each pool are the names of all of those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Water flows from the tops of the sides of the pools, down into the center where it collects, and eventually falls into a smaller square. While this water system sounds simple, the way the water flows into the unseeable depths of the smaller squares creates a haunting and beautiful echo of the original Twin Towers.
Next, I headed into the museum which is in the shape of an 'S,' so visitors essentially wind their way down and through various rooms. I must say, as a person with a very poor sense of direction, I would have easily gotten lost if I was by myself (not that that would have been a bad thing). I do not want to describe every single thing I saw within the museum because I don't want to spoil the awe of seeing the artifacts in person. Instead, I will highlight only a few of the items that were truly astonishing.
One of the most interesting items within the museum was an American flag. What was unique about this particular flag was that it traveled all over the United States. In each location where the flag stopped, Americans would add to the flag by sewing on other flags or fabric. Thus, a collaborative giant American flag was created and now hangs within the museum.
My favorite piece by far took up an entire wall of the museum and is entitled "Trying To Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning." Created by Spencer Finch, 2,983 squares of different shades of blue surround a quote: "No day shall erase you from the memory of time" (stated by Virgil). Each square represents a victim of the terrorist attacks on Sept.11, and not one square is painted the same shade of blue; these various shades represent the sky on the morning of 9/11, depending on the perspective of the person who was looking at it. This piece of art truly took my breath away.
Unfortunately, in order to get through the entire museum and to truly appreciate every item displayed, almost an entire day is required. Because I was given a time slot to go to the observatory located at the top of the Freedom Tower, I was not able to spend as much time as I would have liked within the museum — now I have an excuse to go back as soon as possible!
The Freedom Tower is an absolutely beautiful building. It is by far the tallest building in New York, is indeed the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and is the sixth tallest building in the world. The observatory located at the top of the building gives visitors a view that spans quite a few miles. Most likely an entire morning, afternoon or evening could be spent at the observatory, for there are so many buildings, people, helicopters and other sights to see! Although it sounds cliché, the view is breathtaking.
At the observatory there are even a few employees giving short presentations on the process of building the Freedom Tower, and interesting facts about New York in general. The employees use interactive O-shaped boards during their presentations which are very fun to watch!
I highly recommend making a trip to the 9/11 memorial in New York City. Everything about the memorial, museum and Freedom Tower is informative and beautiful. While you may experience several emotions during your trip, it is very much worth it!
All photos were taken by Alexa E. Diehl
