We had been in two minds as to whether we wanted to visit this museum, given its subject matter, but it seemed that, as the 9/11 attacks on the twin towers are now very much part of New York history, our visit wouldn’t be complete without it.
The memorial museum is now fully open and is situated almost at the foot of the new One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the city, and next to the two memorial pools which pay tribute to those who lost their lives. Also next to the site is the interesting, recently-completed Oculus structure, which provides a roofing cover to the local rail stations.
There were crowds of people visiting, but the atmosphere was quiet and respectful. There were queues to get into the museum, so it pays to book in advance. For those with mobility issues, the museum is very user-friendly, with both escalators, lifts and flat flooring in all areas.
As far as the visit is concerned, it is extremely well done, with loads of artefacts left after the collapse of the towers, and a wealth of information about what happened on that fateful day. In particular, we were reminded of the bravery of the fire crews and other emergency service people who gave their lives trying to save others. They have even saved the original outside staircase which was one of the only escape routes for many of the survivors. It was very eerie, very interesting, but harrowing. We both found we had to keep remembering that thousands of people had died, and often had shivers down our spines as a result. We could have spent much longer there than we did, but after a couple of hours we’d had our fill of the disastrous events and, although we were pleased to have visited and paid our respects, were more than happy to escape to something more like present-day normality.
“Memorial website”:https://www.911memorial.org
