Me

qiu-

You wrote "Why are you guys against visitors going to ground zero? People visit Pearl Harbor and the Arizona memorial and other sites of devastation don't they?"

Big difference. Those are memorials that were set up to be memorials, long after the fact. They are not active crime scenes. Do you think tourists went to gawk at Pearl Harbor while they were still pulling bodies out?

If 5 or 10 years from now a memorial is set up at the site of the WTC, by all means go see it and pay your respects. Now is not the time.

ddd

can everybody please find another way to get rid of whatever anger/depression you are feeling. You have an opportunity here to ignore what mourners are telling you or you can join the tacky crowd, you decide. That's it!!!… New Yorker above said it best, anyone else need more instructions we can't help you common sense is something you are born with.

Inthevillage

Sad and Me--Thank you..I have been following this debate and it is heartening to see that I and my friends living here in NYC are not the only ones who feel this way about this being used as a tourist attraction.You are so right, this is not the time.These people need to think of the workers at the site and of the families who will be having these holidays without loved ones, instead of themselves and what they think their needs are.

NoWhining

NYC has ALWAYS thrived on being a tourist attraction. If You "native New Yorkers" didn't like it, I'm sure you would have BAILED a long time ago!

The WTC, the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Ellis Island: these are part of all AMERICAN'S history, NOT just New Yorker's.

BTW : The Arizona, Pearl Harbor, etc. are visted constantly by loving American's, and you don't see "the Natives" whining about it.

Give us all a break, Americans need to stick together. New Yorkers, last time I checked, where Americans!!

GOD BLESS THE USA!

Native

Oh Please, give me a break-now you are seeing this horror as an American monument like the Statue of Liberty? And as someone else has already mentioned-the Pearl Harbor Memorial is just that, a site created as a memorial-for visitors,this is still a scene of destruction and full of bodies and a dangerous area for the workers.Tell the truth, stop this crap about wanting to pay respect,blah blah, you just want to come ogle the site,see something awful, don't they have car wrecks where you people come from?

abetterway

NoWhining: First let me start by saying that I do not represent the Red Cross, Bouley Bakery or any other company I will mention. Recently I have heard a number of appeals for volunteers from different restaurants and organizations I thought I would pass on what I found. I did respond to an email request from the Red Cross. I went down registered this is what I learned. They have an orientation process that takes between 1-2 hours. They have tasks ranging from simple serving of food to assembling hard hats, washing boots ect..to more complex case writing, computer skills, data entry. They can tell you more if you are a tri-state resident and you decide to go down to the Bklyn chapter of red cross at 165 Cadman Plaza East. The "A" train to Brooklyn Bridge and High Street will let you off at door step. Volunteer Recruitment Center hours are 6:30a.m.-6p.m.
Monday-Saturday and 1-6p.m. on Sundays. Volunteer
opportunities are available Monday-Sunday on all shifts

What I was told is that they are getting a tremendous response in volunteers but some times a staff of 30 might be needed for one shift and only six people will show up. This happens for an eight hour shift that I inquired about. They also have a great need for data entry. I had signed to work for RC but have been waiting for the RC to get back to me since September, a time when they were inundated with volunteers. They told me that they did not have data entry people to process all of the applications. She also added that the sense of urgency is starting to leave volunteers so they are finding themselves in need of new people.

Food preparation/cooking is done by restaurants; Bouley Bakery is still in need of people, the hotline set up for this is 646-831-6895 or just go down to 120 W. Broadway (Tri-Beca)
At Duane St. Subway Stops
A, C, E to Canal St.; 1, 9 to Canal St.
Last I was also instructed to call 1800-volunteers for more information.

If you are not from the NY area you might want to check with your local Red Cross chapter. People that have volunteered for other disasters through Red Cross and or done some course work (through Red Cross) are flying in from all over the country to assist in this effort. Again your local red cross can tell you better about the kind of course work needed and if you will be able to assist.

Getreal

To all you who want to come look at Ground Zero, go ahead, just don't come under the guise of paying respects! That is an absolute crock. Some people want to see it because it is human nature to want to see an accident, and what bigger accident exists today than the scene at Ground Zero? I personally don't get the fascination. I've been to the city 3 times since Sept. 11th and haven't once wanted to go downtown. I know many people who work there who can't stand being there. Friends who are in the city every day haven't even gone there. The air is foul and some of them actually see bodies being pulled out from their windows. It's horrible. The fact that someone would deliberately want to witness this is beyond me. Hey it's a free country, if you want to go, go. Just say you think it would be cool to see and not that you need to pay your respects.

xxxxxx

Speaking as an Englishman who has been to New York three times & visited the WTC each time I fully understand the need to 'pay one's respects'. We have many, many photos of ourselves & our children on top of the WTC & retain many happy memories of our visits. The destruction of the Twin Towers was an abomination & it is to George Bush's credit that he did not nuke those responsible ( they deserve it ! ).

manhattan

XXXXX-Wouldn't you rather look at the photos of your happy family in NY when the Towers were still there than look at photos of what is there now? I just don't understand how people can want to go there and take photos, as if it were a momento of some fun family vacation..the person that likened it to gawking at or taking photos of a car wreck wasn't that far off!

Keith

Sadly, New Yorkers will have to get used to visitors wanting to see the site of the disaster, even after it has passed. Even now, you still see people "rubbernecking" as they drive past the former crash site at Lockerbie in Scotland, or people who have to visit Omagh in Northern Ireland. I don't think it's disrespectful to visit; just remember how many people died there and act accordingly.

RespectNYers

Go to arrangeonline.com-they have a National Obituary Archive with a Memorial for the WTC-you can read all the names of the dead that have been listed so far. Then you can pay your respects accordingly.

Anni

Everyone has their own way of dealing with such situations. I can tell you for one, that it is an awful scene and what you have seen on television shows maybe 1% of what you will see. It smells horrible as well. But, I do believe if you are a relative/friend of a lost loved one you should be able to visit the site. I work at the Family Assistance Center and I have been answering phone calls into the hotline about how to get "closest" to Ground Zero- my best response, is take a cab and try to get as close as possible. Someone suggested the corners of West St. and Liberty St- the North Cove of Battery Park City. Good luck and God bless everyone.

Michael

My God! I never thought that my posting would launch such a flurry of nastiness. But let me try to explain things. When I went to Belfast, in 1981, it was to see Belfast and try to understand this city and its war. It was not as a tourist or a rubbernecker. I lived faraway and that city haunted the papers every day. It was by seeing the city and, in an unintrusive way, speaking and listening that things began to make sense. What Americans and New Yorkers have to understand is that armies from countries worldwide are participating in this war against terrorism (my own brother is training troups here). So, yes, we do have to see - grasp the reality. Understand why we should go to war. I resent that people think that I (or many others) are going to Ground Zero to see dead bodies or to be able to give colourful descriptions of the smell to our friends at Christmastime. As I said, my trip was originally booked to be about opera at the Met. The world has changed since I booked and I could turn away and keep my visit to New York (my tenth or so) to the streets above 50th and drive out of the city and tell all my friends - yeah! it's normal. New Yorkers are their old nasty, funny selves. But travel is about learning the truth and not swallowing the little packages doled out to you by the Disney and Virgin Megastores around Times Square. Forgive me for wanting to know more about what has happened in our world and I will forgive you for accusing me (or anyone else) of being mere thrill-seekers.

Leo

Michael, I understand exactly what you are saying and my advise is to ignore all the goofs jumping to the wrong conclusions. I hope your trip is a success. Good luck to you.

x

Ground Zero or the Opera..wow,that is a hard choice-which wuld you choose to remember your trip by? But Michael is lucky, he wants to do both! I for one have been to Ireland and never felt the need to see the bombed out nighborhoods,the tragedies in other countries were sufficient viewing on television, I don't need to be up close and personal...too bad there are so many people now including the WTC site on their vacations itineraries.

max

Michael-as to your original question---Yes,it does sound disrespectful.The only etiquette is to stay away-yes it does rub a lot of people the wrong way-but you obviously really don't care.

Phil

Michael> your surprised your question stirred up so much??? go back and read it over..hmmmm lets see, your going to NY for the opera,,,but just HAVE to "bear witness" at ground zero..ohhh yes, THEN ask for a place to go for coffee???? cut the BS...your like the thousands who watch nascar just hoping to see a wreck, or those who go see Tyson beat the hell out of somebody...
Don't rationalize your need to see the carnage up close.

Marlena

I can't understand the visceral reaction of some posters on this topic. I think everyone has the right to visit Ground Zero if they want to -- Maybe it will make it more "real" for Americans who can't quite grasp the magnitude of what happened. Personally, watching the building crumble with my own eyes was sufficient, thank you very much, but I cannot condemn people wanting to visit and yes, take pictures.

Marlena

qiu

The truth is tragedy sells. When I was in NY the bus guide pointed to us where John Lennon was shot. In Paris they showed us where Diana's car crashed. Some people visit to pay respects,some out of curiousity or to imagine themselves there. The sep11 attacks has been the most widely covered news in many years. Of course tourists and locals,rightly or wrongly, would want to go see the site of destruction for themselves.

tara

Today, driving down the West Side Highway to Canal Street(the route to Soho), the police have ALL streets closed off leading to the Lower end/Ground Zero site.I guess with all the holiday tourist crowds,they are trying to control the gawkers and oglers..keep some sort of semblance of normalcy for the residents in the area, some sort of respectful attitude for the families who have not had their loved ones brought out yet.