9/11 in New York – A 10th Anniversary Remembrance

"The Twin Towers and the City: Photographs by Camilo José Vergara and Paintings by Romain de Plas.” Photo: Camilo José Vergara

The events of 9/11 created a huge hole in America’s heart. Many of the images from that awful day will never leave us, from the impact of the planes, to the burning Pentagon, to the heroics of the first responders rushing into the doomed towers.

Ten years later, on Sept. 11, New York City’s 9/11 Memorial will open at the site of the World Trade Center Towers — giving the world a place to gather, mourn, learn, reflect and remember.

The 9/11 Memorial is a tribute to the nearly 3,000 people killed at the World Trade Center, near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The memorial also pays tribute to those killed in the Feb. 26, 1993, bombing at the World Trade Center.

This weekend, on Sept. 11, the memorial will be dedicated in a special ceremony reserved just for victims’ families. Starting Sept. 12, the memorial will open to the general public, but all visitors must reserve a timed-entry pass in advance at www.911memorial.org. Admission is free.

Why a pass? According to the website, millions of visitors are expected in the first year of operation and the timed entry will help manage crowds, while construction on the grounds continues. As of this writing, all tickets are reserved for the first week of the opening, but time slots are available in later weeks.

The memorial grounds
Visitors will find the memorial grounds expansive, with two reflecting pools contained within the footprints of the former Twin Towers. Nearly an acre in size each, the pools have the largest manmade waterfalls in North America.

When construction is complete next year, the pools will be surrounded by a grove of more than 400 oak trees. In addition, the 9/11 Memorial Museum will open on Sept. 11, 2012.

Inscribed in bronze panels bordering the pools are the names of those killed in the 2001 and 1993 attacks.

Rendering, Squared Design Lab

One of the most heart-wrenching aspects of the memorial is the online database of the 2,983 names of the men, women and children killed in the 2001 and 1993 attacks. I typed in the name “Johnson” and clicked on “Scott Michael Johnson.” I didn’t know him — I clicked at random. But I felt my eyes moisten reading where he was born, where he lived, who he worked for in the South World Trade Center, and his smiling photo. The page then shows where his name can be found, inscribed among all the victims etched in bronze panels bordering the pool. Visitors will find the names in sections devoted to the different flights, locations, attacks, and an area for first responders.

Getting there
While other WTC construction projects are taking place, visitors holding advance pass reservations will enter at the 9/11 Memorial Welcome Site, located at 1 Albany St. (at the intersection of Albany and Greenwich Streets). Visitors will be greeted by knowledgeable staff and provided with a brief orientation before proceeding onto the Memorial. All visitors and baggage are subject to security screening, and there is no baggage storage available. Please note that the 9/11 Memorial does not have public restrooms available.

Other 10th Anniversary Events in New York City

September 11, Museum of Modern Art, Sept. 11, 2011–Jan. 9, 2012
MoMA, a CityPASS attraction, is presenting a major exhibition on the ways that 9/11 has altered how we see and experience the world. Instead of images of the event, the exhibition provides a “subjective framework within which to consider the attacks in New York and their aftermath.” It features more than 70 works by 41 artists. It occupies the entire second floor of the museum, with additional works in the building and the surrounding neighborhood.

9/11 Peace Story Quilt, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Aug. 30, 2011–Jan. 22, 2012
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, another CityPASS attraction, artist Faith Ringgold presents a story quilt, created with New York City students ages 8 through 19, that explores the themes of peace and cross-cultural communication. For more info, visit metmuseum.org.

Hand in Hand—Remembering 9/11, Lower Manhattan waterfront, Sept. 10
To remember the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, Manhattan Community Board 1 is encouraging people to come together to form a human chain on Sept. 10. Hands will join at 8:46 a.m., the exact time the first World Trade Center tower was hit, starting from the tip of Lower Manhattan and heading north along the waterfront. In nearby Battery Park, people can share messages and memories on the Wall of Remembrance. The event is free, but preregistration is required. For more info, visit handinhand911.org.

Joel Meyerowitz: Remembering 9/11 10 Years Later, 92nd Street Y, Sept. 11
Meyerowitz, known as the only photographer to be given unlimited access to the World Trade Center site immediately following the 9/11 attacks, successfully created an archive of the event's aftermath. Over eight months, he captured 8,000 images of, in his words, "the forbidden city," from the buildings' ruins to the daily recovery and cleanup work. Meyerowitz will share 400 photos of Ground Zero and the story of his efforts to capture this moment in history. For more info, visit 92y.org.

Ten Years Later: Ground Zero Remembered, Brooklyn Museum, Sept. 7–Oct. 30, 2011
This exhibition of artwork, which speaks to a new sense of peace and comfort, integrates comments from Brooklyn families, first responders and survivors about the work on display. The museum will also present a sculpture by Michael Richards, an artist-in-residence with the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council who was in his studio in the World Trade Center on 9/11 and died in the attack on Tower One. For more info, visit brooklynmuseum.org.

9.11 Remembered, The New York City Police Museum, 
Ongoing
Through interviews, photographs and artifacts, this exhibition chronicles the role of the New York Police Department during the response to the attacks of Sept. 11. For more info, visit nycpm.org.

Awakening: A Musical Meditation on the Anniversary of 9/11, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sept. 21–24
The Kronos Quartet performs 12 pieces by composers from around the globe in this contemporary musical meditation on 9/11. Additionally, on Sept. 22, BAM will host a panel discussion about the diverse program with David Harrington, the founder of the Kronos Quartet, and other artists. For more info, visit bam.org.

Click here for a much longer list of events.