Saturday September 11, 2010.
Nine years since the terrorist attacks on The World Trade Center Twin Towers and I remember it well, as I am sure you probably do too.
The shock
The emotion
The disbelief
The imagination
The horror
The enormity of the event as it unfolded before our eyes. Visions that will forever be remembered. The horror of it all, and the realisation that lives were being destroyed and families torn apart.
And in its aftermath and the loss of so many people, the overwhelming grief and deep sense of sadness.
Visiting NYC, I was always going to go there. To see the site. To pause. To pay my respects. And to reflect. To be here on the anniversary, I wanted to go to the memorial and to stand alongside strangers in a moment of silence and to listen quietly as the names of victims were read by family members.
It was an odd sensation, to be standing there surrounded by thousands of people, in the city that never sleeps... in a city crowded with buildings and traffic, looking toward a gaping hole where the twin towers previously stood. And although traffic and the noises of the city never totally abated, I imagine it was as quiet as NYC ever gets.
A woman stood nearby holding an American flag and clutching a sign displaying the picture of a loved one lost, others walked by wearing T-shirt memorials. Police and firefighters stood scattered throughout the crowd and in small groups. And all of us remembering those moments nine years ago, as we stood together in the city streets and American flags flew at half mast.
I have included some images of the memorial below. The image at the top of the post* is an evening shot taken from the sunset ferry on the night of the 11th and shows the two beams shining into the heavens from the site of the WTC. (This is a once a year occurance)
This image was taken later in the day from the Statue of Liberty ferry on the way back from Ellis Island. And just to put it all in perspective, the black building to the left of the flag, is HALF the height of the WTC, which stood at 110 floors.
*Sunset photo taken by blogging buddy Patty who spent 4 days with us in NYC. Thanks Patty for sharing your pic. All remaining images are by moi!
3 comments:
How moving that must have been to be at the memorial. To me, many days, and especially on the anniversary it feels like such a short time ago. Of course we'll never forget and I thank you for sharing that even outside the U.S. there are many people who feel the same.
Gosh, what a unique experience. That must have been so moving. I would have been in tears.
It's so great to see you packing so much into this trip. And each night on the news when I see the Aussie dollar get even stronger, I think of you having a great time :)
Thank you OLA. Your words and photos tell a sincere story. A time of reflection. A time of deep emotion.
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