Share Our World: 9/11 Memorial in NYC

I have been to New York City many times and this time (October 2021) was the first time I went to the 9/11 memorial. It is very moving and I am so glad we went.

I was so impressed with the shear size of the footprint of the building and the waterfall.

Waterfall

The waterfall is the largest man made waterfall in the United States and makes so much noise that it mutes the noise of the city. It was really interesting to feel like you were in a memorial yet there were no gates or walls surrounding it.

Reflecting Absence

Reflecting Absence is the name of the memorials designed by architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker. There are two 1 acre (4,000 m2) pools where the north and south towers once stood. I really did feel the absence of the towers and the lose of life. It is a very thought provoking memorial.

Memorial Plaques

As you walk up to the memorials you see names written on plaques surrounding the pools.

I have learned that the names are for all the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center

North Tower
Employees and visitors in the North Tower (WTC 1)
Passengers and crew of American Airlines Flight 11 (which struck the North Tower)
Employees and a visitor of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing

South Tower
Employees and visitors in the South Tower (WTC 2)
Passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 175 (which struck the South Tower)
Employees, visitors, and bystanders in the immediate vicinity of the North and South Towers
First responders who died during rescue operations
Passengers and crew of United Airlines Flight 93 (which crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania) American Airlines Passengers and crew Flight 77 (which struck the Pentagon)
Employees at the Pentagon

It is sobering to see all these names (2,983) and know that they are a beloved parent, child, friend etc. And that even those who didn't personally know anyone still come, cause we were all affected by what happened that day 20 years ago.

My Experience

I wasn't blogging 20 years ago. So I want to take this opportunity to share my experience of September 11, 2001.

Let's start with August 2001. I had just returned to the United States after living and teaching in Taiwan. My sister and I took a two week road trip across the United States (Oregon-DC). It was a great trip. My sister stayed for a few days then flew home. I had housing in DC and that was it. I needed to find a job. I was enjoying the city and my roommates and had some savings so I was casually looking for work. In September I started working for a temp agency and had random jobs. I was living with some great women in a high rise apartment building in Pentagon City.

On September 11, 2001 I went to a temp job at a dentist office. I remember a patient coming in and saying something had happened and we should watch the news. I was amazed. It seemed like something from a movie. How could a plane really fly into a 110 story building? The scenes were terrible and courageous at the same time. We saw the worst of humankind and the best.

I don't remember how I got home that day. I lived so close to the Pentagon I didn't know if I could get home. For days after the attack it was very difficult to get to and from my house because of the proximity to the Pentagon I eventually stopped working at that dentist office. Understandably, following the attacks employers were not hiring. I am grateful for the savings I had, the generosity of those who saw my need and being able to substitute for grade school classes. The schools stayed open and that was my only source of income till I found a permeant job 7 months later in April 2002.

Here is a picture of my and my roommates and friends at a candlelight vigil following the attacks.

It was quite an experience so close to the Pentagon that I was able see the smoke from my apartment. I also remember how we all felt so united as a country.

Sources:
National September 11 Memorial & Museum

Personal 30 Day Challenge- Day 14