we went to new york this sunday (i stayed on for another day with my sister who is visiting us from the netherlands, while tim went back in the evening), and finally got to see the 9/11 memorial. you have to make reservations in advance, and every time we went to new york since its opening in september 2011, there were no tickets available. around 11.30 (our scheduled time, you have a 30-minute window for arrival; but you can take as much time as you wish once inside) we arrived and went through security (just like at the airport), had to show our visitor passes every now and then, wait in line here and there and finally got to the memorial park. 2 pools, with water falling down from all 4 sides, where once the towers stood. surrounded by bronze panels with all the names of the 1993 and 2001 terrorist attacks.
2983 names.... (here you can read how the names were arranged; it is not just random). the pools are so huge (as were the towers), surrouded by many oak trees. i thought it was simple yet very beautiful. i was mostly touched by seeing names of 3 women that were pregnant, one of them you can see here. "jennifer l howley and her unborn child". born in 1967 in lincoln, nebraska, she went to live in new york city when she was 18. she started out as a nanny, but eventually got to work in the insurance industry. with only a high school diploma, she just got promoted from senior vp to director and was pregnant with her first child when she died in the south tower of the world trade center, only 34 years old...
now... i just hope that in the future you will be able to visit this memorial park without prior appointment, airport style security and standing in line. i wonder if they will ever do that.... but i think that only then this park will truly be a place for remembrance where you can just go for a bit if you feel like going...
this is my contribution to this weeks taphophile tuesday. and here you can see a few more pictures that i took at the memorial.
10 comments:
I must admit after seen all your pictures. It is a for the VS a real humble and very moving monument. Thanks for showing.
It took a long time the monument was finaly realized, but it really looks great. I like the idea of the water falling down. I agree with you about the security thing.
I'm heading there this Sunday and looking forward to taking a walk and see how things have progressed.
wonderful capture and truly sad and heartbreaking.
Poignant reminder of this tragedy...
very nice photo
Sobering, especially when you look at the color coding for all the people who are memorialized - workers, first responders, people on the airplanes, pentagon.
My goodness, that really brings the true horror of what happened on that day home.
What must have gone through that poor woman's mind. RIP xxx
Herding Cats
First, a few strange expressions: 'first responders', and 'requested adjacencies'. Both these expressions, to me, seem to take the humanity out of the individuals. I do not like either expression.
CaT, you mention that there might come a time when there will not be queues or security or time restraints. This will only happen, I suspect, when the memorial no longer speaks to the American population. I do not think that will ever occur.
There has been a lot of work and thought go into the biography of Howley. I wonder if this was the same for each and every person who died. I catch a hint of 'rose coloured glasses' in this, but I guess that is to be expected from those who suffer up close with this tragedy.
I do not expect to ever visit this memorial. To my mind it is very much a memorial, and an event, that speaks to the hearts and minds of Americans. I would find the memorial too overwhelming by far.
Now to look at your other images.
My guess is that there are more visitors during the summer months, too. It must take forever to visit the memorial. I would spend so much time reading about the individuals.
Thank you for posting on this. It is a most salutary memorial.
omigoodness. that is just heartrending. what a beautiful space they have created.
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