The National September 11 Memorial could only have been located here in New York City, within the footprint of the towers that fell over a decade ago. I can imagine it somewhere else. In a very quiet and somber location, one that promotes reflection and is more easily accessible. But that would be far from Manhattan. And ultimately it would seem to be in the wrong place.
It absolutely must be here. For reasons that go beyond what happened and what we have been through in the first decade of the 21st century. It
was such an enormously horrible day and most of that horror happened here in
lower Manhattan. Visitors will come to this place for centuries. To learn. To
mourn. And to remember the thousands that were lost on that autumn day which
dawned cool and beautiful but ended in a cataclysm of smoke, fire, destruction
and incomprehensible grief.
I visited the new National Memorial earlier
this month. It is located on Albany and Greenwich streets in Manhattan. Amid the
noise of the city. The constant sounds of everyday urban life compressed and
reflecting off concrete, steel and glass. Add to that, the noise of
construction cranes, jack hammers and every other offense to the ears that goes
along with building two new mega-skyscrapers on the next block over.
I'm
sure in the early design process, the issue of all this noise was considered and
what they came up with to address it was simple: falling water and trees. Two
square pools - the focus of the memorial - are large square pits, each an
acre in size, with water cascading 30 feet from each side into a pool and then a
smaller pit below. They are now the largest man-made falls in North America, and
their steady roar does blunt the ambient city noise. Above the pools, inscribed
on bronze parapets, are the names of each victim. Computer screens nearby help
visitors to find those names and where they are located within the
park.
The museum space is unfinished but expected to open this fall. It
will include walls of victims photographs, a crushed fire engine, steel
beams deformed by the impact of the planes and a first for National Memorials: a
walled space intended to inter the remains of unknown victims that is accessible
only to medical examiners so that more of the dead might one day be
identified.
All this is within a 16 acre park landscaped with planted trees that are native to Manhattan, Washington D.C. and Shanksville,
Pennsylvania. Most are swamp white oaks that will grow to 70 feet. One is a
callery pear known as the Survivor Tree, because it withstood the initial
attacks, and though recently damaged by wind, continues to thrive
today.
The memorial absolutely must be here because this is where we began to heal. Only steps away is St. Paul's Chapel, where the rescue workers were offered food, rest and a place to pray. It is also free to visit and should not be missed.
The National September 11 Memorial is a beautiful scar on a heavyweight champion city. When complete, the entire plaza will be surrounded by the new World Trade
Center complex. Visitors to the memorial will walk among office workers enjoying
time outdoors, maybe having lunch on a park bench, or just getting away from
their desks. Everyday life, as it was on 9/10, melding with the grief of names
being read and water falling. Falling into voids that will never be never
filled.
To Get There: From the Newark Airport hotels: take the city bus or Airtrain
to Newark Penn Station. Then take the PATH train to the World Trade Center. Takes
about an hour, cost is $3.50 each way (using the Airtrain costs
more)
