Visit to 9/11 memorial in NYC
Dec 13th, 2015, 04:42 PM
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Visit to 9/11 memorial in NYC
Some notes and tips from our visit to the WTC 9/11 memorial:
TRANSPORTATION. This will be different for everyone depending on your preferences and where you're coming from. I'll mention our experience in case someone sees it as a good idea for them. We took the Path train from Harrison, NJ, to the WTC. The station is about 15 minutes from the NJ turnpike -- easy to get to, and there's a covered parking garage that charges $12 for 12 hours. The charge one way is $2.75, and the trip takes about 20 mins. Definitely recommended if that area is convenient for you.
If you look at a map, you'll see that the Harrison Station is about parallel to the Holland Tunnel, so you might ask why not just take the HT and drive to the WTC. I've had some miserable traffic experiences going both ways into and out of the HT, especially around the holidays. Then you have to make your way the WTC and parking, +/-$45.
FOOD: In case you're looking for something to eat before after, we went to Les Halles on Jones St., a few blocks from the WTC. It was Saturday, so they were serving their brunch menu -- lots of omelet and crepe variations, burgers, some full-blown entrees, plus $5 specials on Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Everyone tried something different, and all enjoyed. Try the truffle french fries. Service was good, nice setting, and reasonable prices.
TICKETS: They have timed tix. Ordering them online is quick and painless. $25, with discounts for students and seniors.
The grounds of the WTC area are nicely done. They've constructed two pools in the size and shape of the footprint of the two buildings, and there's the modernist transportation center that's constructed in the shape of massive gull wings.
THE MUSEUM. There are long lines outside, organized around the times every half hour. But don't be put off. Once your time arrives, they zip you into the building. It seemed as if they sold too many tix for the times. The exhibits were very crowded, so much so that it was sometimes difficult to see some of them and move from one to another. Maybe because it was Saturday.
There are two 15-minute movies I call Movie A and Movie B. Movie A consists mostly of interviews with Condoleeza Rice, GWB and Pervez Musharraf. Movie B, the better one, consists of more interviews with other world leaders and some info around the events of the day. There's about a 15-minute break between them, so you could watch both.
I won't take you through every exhibit. They're mostly themed on remnants of the ruins, some of which as been fashioned into art. The whole thing has a somber mood, of course, but the most disturbing one is about the people who leaped 90 stories, or so, to their deaths to escape the flames. There are recordings of eyewitnesses to the leaps and still photos of the leaps. It gets you imagining an unimaginable horror.
TRANSPORTATION. This will be different for everyone depending on your preferences and where you're coming from. I'll mention our experience in case someone sees it as a good idea for them. We took the Path train from Harrison, NJ, to the WTC. The station is about 15 minutes from the NJ turnpike -- easy to get to, and there's a covered parking garage that charges $12 for 12 hours. The charge one way is $2.75, and the trip takes about 20 mins. Definitely recommended if that area is convenient for you.
If you look at a map, you'll see that the Harrison Station is about parallel to the Holland Tunnel, so you might ask why not just take the HT and drive to the WTC. I've had some miserable traffic experiences going both ways into and out of the HT, especially around the holidays. Then you have to make your way the WTC and parking, +/-$45.
FOOD: In case you're looking for something to eat before after, we went to Les Halles on Jones St., a few blocks from the WTC. It was Saturday, so they were serving their brunch menu -- lots of omelet and crepe variations, burgers, some full-blown entrees, plus $5 specials on Bloody Marys and Mimosas. Everyone tried something different, and all enjoyed. Try the truffle french fries. Service was good, nice setting, and reasonable prices.
TICKETS: They have timed tix. Ordering them online is quick and painless. $25, with discounts for students and seniors.
The grounds of the WTC area are nicely done. They've constructed two pools in the size and shape of the footprint of the two buildings, and there's the modernist transportation center that's constructed in the shape of massive gull wings.
THE MUSEUM. There are long lines outside, organized around the times every half hour. But don't be put off. Once your time arrives, they zip you into the building. It seemed as if they sold too many tix for the times. The exhibits were very crowded, so much so that it was sometimes difficult to see some of them and move from one to another. Maybe because it was Saturday.
There are two 15-minute movies I call Movie A and Movie B. Movie A consists mostly of interviews with Condoleeza Rice, GWB and Pervez Musharraf. Movie B, the better one, consists of more interviews with other world leaders and some info around the events of the day. There's about a 15-minute break between them, so you could watch both.
I won't take you through every exhibit. They're mostly themed on remnants of the ruins, some of which as been fashioned into art. The whole thing has a somber mood, of course, but the most disturbing one is about the people who leaped 90 stories, or so, to their deaths to escape the flames. There are recordings of eyewitnesses to the leaps and still photos of the leaps. It gets you imagining an unimaginable horror.
Dec 14th, 2015, 05:47 AM
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There were children and school groups. And some of the exhibits are designed to provide a background and history leading up to 9/11, thus assuming that there will be kids who have little or no knowledge of the event.
Just a guesstimate, but I would say kids over the age of about 10 would be OK. I should point out that they've done a good job of cordoning off some of the more disturbing sections. For instance, the room covering the stories about the people who leaped is set off, and there's a panel blocking the view of the photos, such that you actually have to go into the room to see it.
I suppose it would be good to have a conversation with any child before entering, to explain things a bit. Also, there's info online about the exhibits, so you could prepare yourself for what you want the kids to see.
I'm not trying to offer child psychology, but it's just what I'd do if I had younger kids (which I don't anymore).
Just a guesstimate, but I would say kids over the age of about 10 would be OK. I should point out that they've done a good job of cordoning off some of the more disturbing sections. For instance, the room covering the stories about the people who leaped is set off, and there's a panel blocking the view of the photos, such that you actually have to go into the room to see it.
I suppose it would be good to have a conversation with any child before entering, to explain things a bit. Also, there's info online about the exhibits, so you could prepare yourself for what you want the kids to see.
I'm not trying to offer child psychology, but it's just what I'd do if I had younger kids (which I don't anymore).
Dec 14th, 2015, 10:49 AM
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maitai: Good point about the best times. The website has a chart that shows the busiest times. As you'd expect, there's a bell curve that shows sparse attendance before 10 and after 5, and the numbers rise toward the middle of the day.
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