World Trade Center Site (Ground Zero)

World Trade Center Site (Ground Zero) Review

Thousands come each year to connect with events that unfolded here, and one decade later visitors at last have an official memorial to see in addition to the site itself. On September 11, 2001, terrorist hijackers steered two jets into the World Trade Center's Twin Towers, setting them ablaze and causing their collapse, killing 2,752 people and injuring countless others. The 16-acres of fenced-in rubble and debris that slowly evolved into a construction zone quickly became a memorial unto itself, a place where visitors and those who lost loved ones could mourn and reflect on what was the single most deadly foreign attack to happen on American soil.

The memorial plaza will be bordered by four distinct new skyscrapers: the 1,776-foot Freedom Tower, and Towers 2, 3, 4, all designed by famous architects. The site will also include a performing arts center designed by Frank Gehry and a transportation hub. An estimated date for the finished construction of the Freedom Tower is 2013, with other buildings following.

National 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Open to coincide with the 10th anniversary of 9/11, The National 9/11 Memorial's twin reflecting pools are recessed, 30-foot waterfalls that sit on the footprint of where the Twin Towers once stood. Water cascades down the sides, and after settling tumbles further into smaller square holes in the center. Designed by Michael Arad and Peter Walker, the pools are each nearly an acre in size and said to be the largest manmade waterfalls in North America.

Edging the Memorial pools at the plaza level are bronze panels inscribed with the names of the nearly 3,000 people who were killed in the terror attacks at the World Trade Center site; in Flight 93's crash in Pennsylvania; at the Pentagon; and the six people who died in the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. At night, the names are illuminated by lights shining up from underneath the panels. Visitors are allowed to place tribute items in front of the Memorial pools as well as on the name panels.

Inside the plaza are more than 400 oak trees harvested from within a 500-mile radius of the site, as well as from Pennsylvania and near Washington, D.C. A small clearing in the grove, known as the Memorial Glade, is a space reserved for special ceremonies and other gatherings. There's also a single callery pear tree known as the Survivor Tree, which was revived after being damaged during the 9/11 attacks.

Tip: Book your free, timed ticket online at least 10 days before your visit. Be prepared for strict security, no large bags allowed, no bag storage, and no bathrooms.

In between the reflecting pools is the Memorial Museum, and although its opening date is slated for September 2012 at this writing, visitors can see inside the pavilion's soaring glass atrium, which contains two original steel tridents from the facade of the Trade Center's North Tower. The museum will feature a permanent collection of donated artifacts, memorabilia, photographs, and various recordings, as well as an exhibition that takes visitors through the history of events leading up to the attack and its aftermath. There's also a memorial wall of roughly 3,000 portraits of those who died, pieces of the Towers' structural columns and foundation, and remnants of the "Survivors Stairs," that allowed hundreds of people to escape the buildings.

Entry at the northeast corner of Albany and Greenwich Streets, One Liberty Plaza, 20th Floor, Financial District, 10006. 212/266-5211 for reservations. www.911memorial.org. Free (with timed ticket purchased in advance). Sept.-Jan. 8, 2012, Mon.-Fri. 10-8, Sat.-Sun. 9-8; Jan. 9-Mar. 10, Mon.-Sun. 10-6; Mar. 11-June 15, Mon.-Sun. 10-9.