9/11 Memorial

The visit to the 9/11 Memorial was one that I will never forget. Although I watched the Freedom Tower being built over the years, I never entered the grounds of the World Trade Center after the Twin Towers collapsed.

After the security checkpoint and after going through the winding pathway, I entered the memorial and the sight of it took my breath away. It captured all of your senses. The whole site was silent except for the ongoing sounds of rushing water, which blocked out all the sounds of the city. The crisp, cool air enveloped you and the site of greenery everywhere was somewhat surprising. You could see exactly where the buildings once stood, as well as read the name of every person that lost their life that day.

The Freedom Tower stands as the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere alongside the two monuments that were constructed at exactly the sites of the North and South Towers. The two perfectly symmetrical square monuments are identical, except for the names inscribed along the edges, and the depth to which the water fell was unperceivable, no matter how much you tried to see down to the bottom. Each name was illuminated and, each day, a white rose is placed in the names of the individuals whose birthday would have been on that day.

Standing there, it is almost as if you feel closer to the people that are no longer with us. There seemed to be warmth radiating from the names that affected you despite the day’s chilly weather. The more I stood in silence, simply letting the atmosphere engulf me, the more closer and empathetic I felt.

Overall, this experience was a memorable one and, as someone who was personally affected by the events of 9/11, I hope that that day will remain in our memories and never be forgotten in the generations to come after us. I intend to visit the memorial again in the near future.