The idea to visit the Memorial came up at dinner on Friday night. My cousin, who lives in New York, didn't think we could get tickets for the next day. Luckily, we had our pick of arrival times.
When planning on visiting the Memorial, you have two options for tickets: walk-up on a first come, first serve basis or "buy" tickets in advance. I would recommend the "buy" option if available.
To order your tickets, go to the Memorial website here. Then click on "Plan Your Visit"
Midway down the page is a section devoted to visitor passes. Click on the "Reserve Passes" button:
You will be taken to the start of the reservation process. The process is time consuming. Very time consuming. I did it all on my cell phone, which I don't recommend. On the first page, you will see if the Memorial has tickets for the date and time of your visit.
Passes are "free." However, to reserve them online, you will need to pay a $2 per ticket processing fee. The $2 per ticket is well worth it. Also, you must print your tickets before arriving!
The entrance to the Memorial is located at the corner of Albany and Greenwich Streets.
Once you get to the entrance, you will be broken up into those with passes and those who don't have them. As you can imagine, those with tickets move through the lines faster.
You will need to go through TSA like security to enter the Memorial. Therefore, I recommend limiting the amount of things you bring especially backpacks, suitcases, and purses. Once you go clear security, the Memorial is breathtaking. The Memorial Plaza is broken up into two different areas representing the two former Towers.
Both areas have pools representing the two Towers. They have water cascading down all sides falling into a hole in the center:
Around the edge of the pools are the names of those who perished in 9/11. The names are cut out.
When I visited the Memorial, it was raining. I think the rain enhanced the experience. The rain against the names was breathtaking. It is one of those Memorials where people don't speak. The patter of feet could be heard more than people's voices.
While walking around the two pools, I came across names with flowers stuck in them. My first though was that they must have been left by family members. After some research, I learned that the flowers are placed into a person's name on their birthday. This is a new tradition.
The flowers made the Memorial real. It was a reminder of how short of time has passed since the tragedy.
The other major attraction will be a museum to be open in the Spring of 2014. Here is a rendering of what the museum will look like:
The museum will house "twin tridents" which are from the Twin Towers.
The other major attraction is the "Survivor Tree." The history of the Survivor Tree is like its name says, one of survival. The tree was recovered from the rubble at the WTC site and brought back to live at a nursery in the Bronx. In 2010, the tree was uprooted by a storm and replanted with no significant damage. Now, the tree sits proudly in the Plaza.
The Memorial doesn't have many places to sit and reflect. You will be doing a ton of walking.
I am planning on coming back to see the museum, when it is open. The Memorial took a long time to be built, but after my first visit I think its spot on. It is a place to come and reflect upon what has happen.
The 9/11 Memorial is a must see if you come to New York right up there with the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building and Times Square!
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