Memorials, Bulls, Statues and Bridges

Saturday June 2, 2012

We started the day off at Ground Zero, where the reconstruction of the World Trade Center buildings are underway, and where two memorial pools serve as a sign of respect and remembrance to all those who perished on September 11, 2001. The place is surprisingly busy and noisy, mostly from construction workers and equipment, which is in stark contrast to what I expected it to be. The memorials are simple yet beautiful water features, square in shape with water flowing into a large hollowed drain in the center. Around the perimeter are the names of those killed on that day, from the flights, the towers, the rescuers and the other landmarks that were affected.

The 9/11 Memorials hold much emotion and you can sense both the grief of the event and the hope of the rebuilding. Various videos from the visitor centers tell stories of people who have lost family and friends in this disaster. A giant American flag with names of the dead printed in red and blue hangs solemnly on the wall. I can't help but think back to what that day was like; a phone call at 6am from William urged me to check the news. I still remember the haunting images of the planes colliding with the towers and their eventual collapsing. It was all abuzz at school (5th form) but being so far from the action, I can't help but wonder what the feelings were like in New York, around that exact site where I was standing earlier today.

We moved on to Wall Street and the famous Charging Bull statue, a symbol of the aggressive financial optimism and prosperity that institutions around that area draw much needed inspiration from. We continued south and decided to take a ferry to Liberty Island for a quick tour of the statue; the statue itself is undergoing renovations so there is no entry to the observation levels inside. Back at the Battery Park, we made our way over to Brooklyn via the famous Brooklyn Bridge. We caught some magnificent sights of the Manhattan skyline from both the ferry and the bridge!

Day has been seized.

Posted by Jeremy at 1:08am on Saturday June 2, 2012 :: 1 comment ::

Where? new york