An Amazing Memorial

Did you guys know that I write a Family Travel blog over at R We There Yet Mom?  It's filled with family trips and tips and I love to host your vacations...check it out if you haven't yet.

Now, typically, I don't like to "cross-contaminate", however, this post and the experience left a profound impact on me, so I wanted to share it over here as well.

On 8 small acres in Lower Manhattan, sits the site of the Nation September 11 Memorial. It is an amazing tribute to those 3000 who lost their lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, a field near Shanksville, PA, and the 6 who perished in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993.

 The Memorial features twin reflecting pools that sit in the footprints of where the Twin Towers once stood.

 The names of each person who perished in the attacks are etched into the bronze panels that define the reflecting pools.

 It's a powerful reminder of how much life was lost in these attacks and it puts a name to these lives....especially those that rushed into save others.....

 The pools are nearly an acre in size and feature the largest manmade waterfalls in North America.

There is a plaza that sits adjacent to the pools.  400 trees are planned for this area, to create a contemplative area of reflection.

 There is a general hush.  As if the hustle and bustle of the city that surrounds it doesn't exist.

Everyone is reflective and somber.  How can you not be?

  The names are the heart of the Memorial.  They are stencil-cut, allowing you to look through them to see the water, or for paper rubbings, and to see the light at night shine through.   Honestly, it hurts your heart to read the names.  But I can't help but feel we need to have that feeling - to remember and never forget.

 Towering over Pool 2, is the building of One World Trade Center, planned to be the tallest building in the United States.  It's an awesome site to see the "rebirth" of this complex.

 Memorials like these bring it all home. Where as I may not personally know someone who perished that day, they are someone's father, sister, daughter.......

 And this is a place for those families to remember, to grieve.....

And a place for everyone else to never forget this horrific event.

I was lucky enough to visit the National September 11 Memorial the week after it opened.  If you will be visiting New York City, I highly recommend a trip.  Tickets are required at no fee, but you will need to reserve them in advance.  There is additional information on the website, including an interactive map and mobile app to find any names.