Opening of the 9/11 Memorial
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine Nolan
Monday, September 12th, marked the opening of the 9/11 Memorial Gardens and Waterfall. Press and media were given a rare and first-hand look prior to the public opening.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the city, this peaceful and serene memorial is an expanse of park with two enormous reflecting ponds set in the footprints of the World Trade Center. Each pool is approximately an acre in size, 30-foot waterfalls cascading down the sides and reaching down to an endless abyss. All the victims names from the World Trade Center disaster, those victims aboard Flight 93, Pentagon victims and those who lost their lives at the World Trade Center bombing on February 26th, 1993, are inscribed into bronze panels surrounding the pools.
Visitors are able to make pencil and paper rubbings of the names to take home as a remembrance. Surrounding the area are hundreds of white oak trees which will also become a source of shade and serenity.
As I entered the memorial, that sense of closeness and pride overtook me. From a mass of rubble and smoke has come a most appropriate way to honor the fallen.
It is still a work in motion with the actual building and museum continuing to be completed.
We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day to usher in the crowds. Amidst heavy security, everything went seamlessly as planned.
Mayor Bloomberg, Chairman of the National September 11th Memorial and Museum, was on hand to greet the very first visitors. Joining him was 9/11 Memorial and Museum President, Joe Daniels, alongside the site’s architects, Michael Arad and Peter Walker. In addition, New York Senator, Christine Quinn and New York City Comptroller, John C. Liu were on hand to greet the visitors. Also present at the opening was Anthoula Katsimatides, 39, who lost her brother John, a 31-year-old bonds broker for Cantor Fitzgerald. She is on the board of directors of the Memorial and Museum. What this has become to her is a place of solace, renewal, optimism and hope. It is where she can remember her brother and honor his life.
Visiting the memorial that morning was a moving, motivating and energizing experience ten years later knowing that we have been able to come back stronger than ever.
Approximately 7,000 people registered online for the free tickets to visit on opening day and 400,000 are signed up for the coming months.
Comments are closed.