May 24-26, 2008. I spent Memorial Day Weekend in New York for a wedding. It was a great celebration of family and friends. The highlight of the weekend was the walking tour I took at Ground Zero. There is not much to see, so it is really more of a talking tour. If you are interested in checking it out, here are the details. It leaves from the Tribute Center several times a day and costs $15.00 (donated to the Memorial Fund). Groups are small, only 15-20 people per tour. All tours are given by New Yorkers who have some connection to 9/11. It could be a survivor, someone who worked in the towers, a person who lost a loved one, a volunteer, a rescue worker... Our tour was led by Joe, a firefighter from Engine Company 10, Ladder 10--the fire house right next to the site. He was buried under the South Tower, but survived after many surgeries, most of which were on his brain . He had a thick New York accent and attitude, which made the experience that much more special and unique. He is quite a character.
Here are some of the facts he told us (if I can remember them): Almost 2,800 people lost their lives that day on the 16 acre site that is now called Ground Zero. That includes those in the Twin Towers, on the planes and around the area. Three buildings actually fell. The South Tower, the North Tower and the World Trade Center #7 building, which fell at 5:20pm. That last building has already been re-built today because it is technically not in the 16 acre site considered part of the Memorial. All 7 buildings in the WTC area were destroyed. Three collapsed and four were crushed by them (including the Marriott hotel which was split in half). A single building will go up on this site and it will be called the Freedom Tower. It will be taller than the Twin Towers. Nothing will be built on the footprint of the old towers because they are viewed as sacred gravesites. Instead, reflecting pools with all of the victim's names will go on those footprints. There were only about 100 bodies recovered. Of the remains found, only half have been matched to DNA...which means that about 1,400 families still have no closure to this awful event.
Joe also told us some interesting things...The towers each had 99 elevators in them. Only one elevator in each tower went from the 1st floor to the 110th floor, and that was reserved for emergency use only. Over 50,000 people worked in the two towers. The morning of 9/11 was the first day of school for the public school system. It was also a voting day. Those two factors were a blessing because only an estimated 28,000 people were at work by the time the first plane hit at 8:46am. Over the years there were 19 babys born in the towers and 17 murders. The towers were 130 feet apart on an angle. Only once were they connected and that was by a French tight rope walker. He went back and forth eight times before he was arrested. Another man made special climbing clamps, clipped into the window washing track, grabbed some suction cups and made it half way up before the cops realized he was not supposed to be there. They lowered a window washing basket and the man refused to get in saying the basket did not appear safe to him. So, he climbed the rest of the way to the top to be arrested. They wanted to fine him but could not find a rule that outlined the amount, so they went with $1.10...a penny for every floor.
Joe told us all about when, why and how the buildings were built. He also showed us a model of the way it used to look (which he bought on ebay). That was very helpful since all we were looking at was a giant hole in the middle of the city. It is hard to comprehend what happened that day and how our lives have changed because of it. I did not directly know anyone that lost their life on 9/11, but seeing the posters and photos in the Tribute Center is almost more than a person can handle. It is a very moving experience and one I will never forget. Joe told us his story for almost 2 hours and I hung on every word. The tour was supposed to only be 60 minutes, but no one wanted him to stop talking. I had so many questions, but could not find the words to form them or the courage to ask him. Even after it was over, we all just hung around in silence. There are 200 people who give these tours. You could go on each person's tour and never hear the same story. I am so glad to have met Joe and feel so lucky to have heard from a hero like him.
I have not been very good about updating the blog lately, so here it is in a nutshell...
