I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to tour
the Tribute Center and Ground Zero yesterday with several friends,
including my friend Michele who is one of the guides
She has been involved since "day one" and it was
so much more special having her with us
To be a guide you have to have some connection to 9/11
In other words you had to be involved in some way
Michele lived only blocks from the towers, as did her son and her
husband worked there
Luckily, they all survived, but were effected emotionally
I was in New York on 9/11, I worked in mid-Manhattan and
it is a day that will remain forever engraved
in my mind and in my heart
Below are some of the pictures from yesterday's visit
You MUST put it on your Bucket List
Yes, it is sad and touching, but we must never forget
that this happened.
This tribute wall is much more beautiful in person
It is outside the tribute center which is next door to Firehouse Three
This Firehouse was not a first responder because they
were out on a call when the Tower's were hit
For this reason they "only" lost six firemen
This is an overview of the building of "One World Trade Center"
which is the official name of the new building
It is NOT being called the Freedom Tower
To the right of the picture you can see the South Bridge
That bridge used to go across the entire street
Notice there is a small hole at the top
That happened on 9/11 and they have no plans on fixing it
It is not a structural damage and they want it there to remind
people of what happened
Also, there was a North Bridge and there are no plans to replace
that bridge
This is a picture of the Memorial Park when you walk in
It is serene and park-like (a little more concrete that i imagined)
but very tranquil
No words can describe the feeling when you walk up to the pools
To imagine that this is the actual footprint of the South Tower
is mind boggling...
They truly did an amazing job
So sorry this picture will not turn around
This is the pear tree that survived the collapse of the twin towers
It was discovered in the rubble of 9/11 and was replanted
at the Memorial Plaza
It had snapped roots and a blackened trunk and was
only 8 feet high when it was taken to a
Parks Department in the Bronx
They nursed it back to health and it now stands
about 30 feet high!!!
This is a picture of the Museum which will be open next year
for the eleventh anniversary
It is supposed to be amazing!!!
We were able to get a small glimpse in...
Exactly the same as the South Pool only this is where the
North Tower stood
The water runs constantly and is soothing and healing
Again, I apologize this is not in the correct direction
Here stands One World Trade Center in all its glory...
I did not take any pictures at the Tribute Center
It was too moving, too personal, too tragic...
Make sure you do not miss it when you go
All surviving family members were asked to send in
photos, mementos or whatever of their loved ones
This room is just too much to bear...
Michele told us that some families are still getting calls
that remains have been identified
Some families have been called up to ten times
Many families have asked not to be called anymore
It is just too painful already - too much to handle
The stories are endless
The tragedies are beyond our wildest dreams
But yet there are also hopes that have come out of all this
Hopes that people have become better
Hopes that the world will become a better place
Hopes that we will all learn something from
these tragedies
To all of you I wish you love and peace
Peggy
