NYC Vacation: Day 4 and 9/11 Tribute

So I have not done my Day 3 post yet for my vacation, but since today is September 11th, I decided it would be more fitting to do my Day 4 post today.

The last day of our vacation we went to the 9/11 Memorial and the Ground Zero Museum Workshop. First we went to the GZMW. This is not the museum that is right by the memorial, that museum will not be completed until Spring 2014. I didn't know what to expect with this museum, especially when I saw it was literally 1 room. They had to limit the tour to only 25 people because the room was small. I could not have imagined how amazing the place actually was. I recommend it to anyone who will be in NYC at some point.

Obviously, I have always thought 9/11 was a terribly tragic day for the victims and the victims' families. I have to say though, I never truly felt CONNECTED to what happened and to all of these people and their stories until I visited that museum. This museum was just incredible. They had artifacts all over the room numbered 1-110. You each got your own headset with a number pad, and you made your way around the room and as you got to the artifact/picture/etc, you punched in its number and the creator of the museum, Gary Suson, told you a whole story behind it. Suson was the official photographer at Ground Zero during the recovery, which went on until June of 2002.

The stories were just unbelievable and it was so emotional for me. We spent 2 and a half hours in there, looking over everything and listening to everything about it. I was very surprised that we were mainly the only 4 out of 25 people that stayed that long. Many people were not American, and I don't know if that is why they didn't spend as much time, but for us it was just incredible and emotional. I will never ever think of 9/11 in the same way. I was just not attached to it in the same way before, and now I feel so much more empathy for all of those victims and families than I could have ever imagined before.

The subway station turnstiles underneath the WTC.

One of the only computer pieces found at Ground Zero.

Crosses and Stars of David were carved out of the beams of the Towers

and given to the victims' families.

Random items found from the observatory at the top of the Towers.

A clock found in the subway tunnel underneath WTC, stuck at 10:02, when

the power went out in much of Manhattan due to the South Tower's collapse.

Also found in the subway station under the WTC.

Some of the very few pieces of window glass from the Towers. They did not find much.

The GZMW.

Other side of the GZMW it was legit one small room.

Afterwards, we went down to the 9/11 Memorial. Being around Ground Zero was a lot different than it was my last few times in NYC. The Freedom Tower is honestly just magnificent. It is just the coolest building in the world, and we thought it was so awesome when they told us it stands 1,776 feet tall. (1776 -- get it?) We took about 50 pictures of it from all different angles. The memorial itself was amazing. I just could not believe that I was standing where all of this happened and that once the Twin Towers stood there. (I never saw the Twin Towers on any of my visits to NYC; my first time there was in 2006). We also kind of peeked inside the unfinished museum.

The South Pool.

The Memorial puts flowers by the victims' names on their birthdays.

Beautiful Freedom Tower.

WePeople looking inside of the museum.

We think that rusted beam is from the towers.

In front of the Survivor tree.

The hoodie I got at the gift show. I love it.

After the Memorial, we went to a pub across the street for our last meal in NYC. It was actually the best meal we had there I think. It was amazing!! After that we went back to our hotel, because we planned on leaving for home at midnight and we had to pack up. The last day was amazing.

I will never view 9/11 in the same way again. When I got up today, I said a prayer for everyone involved. Again, I've always done this, but now it just seems so much more real to me. Also, I have 9/11 specials on TV (19 of them) set on my DVR. I will be thinking of this tragedy throughout everything I do during the day, no matter what I'm doing. My hearts are with anyone involved in 9/11 and I pray that they find peace, even though we will never forget.