I recently attended the Inman Connect New York conference at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square. It’s a bustling and exciting part of New York City, one I highly recommend visiting. But what I was most looking forward to on this trip was the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial.
We put together a great group of friends attending Inman Connect and made the trek downtown. The process for visiting the 9/11 Memorial is pretty slick. You go online to make a reservation and simply arrive at the designated time and make your way through security and then are free to roam around the hallowed ground.
You can’t help but feel a sense of what happened here, especially as you approach the 9/11 Memorial Pools. The empty footprints of the twin towers is something that pictures can not adequately portray. The noise of the rushing water, the names surrounding the pools and the gaping void combine in what can only be described as the perfect memorial to the lives lost here. It is fitting though, that next to these footprints rises the new Freedom Tower.
As I walked around the 9/11 Memorial Pools, I was struck by this particular view down a corner of the names parapet. It clearly illustrated to me the incomprehensible loss that the FDNY suffered that day, as they rushed into the buildings to save lives and then lost their own in the process. This shot captures the names of 5 FDNY Companies, one above the other.
I also had the chance to see the amazing 9/11 Tree that survived the collapse of the towers. It was also moving to see the temporary visitors center and view the items there, such as the FDNY helmet, twisted steel and melted aluminum. Those pictures are below.
If you ever find yourself in New York, I highly recommend you visit the 9/11 Memorial.
