A Rebirth at Ground Zero

 

 

In the years that followed 9/11, there was much debate about what to do with the area at Ground Zero — how to rectify the loss and create a new land-use plan for the site, while simultaneously providing a memorial to the tragedy and a rebirth to the area of Lower Manhattan.

 

In 2003, a widely-publicized, international design competition was held to select the design for a new national memorial at Ground Zero. The response was tremendous; the selected plan was designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker. On September 11, 2011, the 9/11 Memorial was dedicated in a special ceremony for victims’ families, and it is now open to the public.

 

The Memorial covers an eight-acre area of Lower Manhattan, centered by two enormous reflecting pools in the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood. Names of loved ones lost in the attacks are engraved on bronze along the Memorial pools; on the memorial website, a program can help you locate a specific name. 

 

Though visitor passes for the memorial are free, visitors must reserve a ticket and specific visiting time on the 9/11 Memorial website. However, the organization will make every attempt to accommodate family members of victims, and there is even a separate reservation procedure for family members.

 

VirtualTourist.com members noted that due to the heavy security at the site, similar to TSA presence at U.S. airports, you’d do well to arrive 10 minutes before your designated ticket time. While the tickets have assigned times, there is no limit to the length of your stay at the memorial. Entry to the 9/11 Memorial is at the corner of Albany St. and Greenwich St.

 

The 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center, Albany St. at Greenwich St., New York, N.Y. 10006, http://www.911memorial.org/.

 

(c)2012   VirtualTourist.com, Distributed by Tribune Media Services Inc.

 

This was printed in the November 18, 2012 – December 1, 2012 Edition