9/11, 2001

A date that conjures up the horror that took place on that beautiful sunny day in NYC.

I had the good fortune if that’s what you want to call it. to be in NY the same week this excellent museum opened in May 2014.The complex has two parts; The 9/11 memorial and the 9/11 museum.

It is built on the site of the former twin towers. Will any of us forget where we were when those awful event unfolded. A visit to the museum will simply relive all the horrors of that day..  Once you have purchased your ticket which is currently at $24 you will proceed through security and then enter the museum itself.

Much of the museum is situated underground and it starts with a descent to the original foundation level of what was once the towers. You will pass the actual construction ramps of the building. Some of the original slurry walls have remained intact.

Next to the wall stands the 36ft high “last column”  which is covered with inscriptions and mementos from rescue workers.

Even more poignant are a part of the “Survivors staircase” which were used by hundreds to escape the inferno.

.  There is an astonishing amount of material on display including 500 hours  of video. There are 23,000 artifacts many of which have been donated by survivors and by the families of the victims. These include ash ridden shoes. There is even a fire engine.

The main exhibition will take you through the events, not only what happened at the World Trade center but also at the Pentagon and on the ill fated flight 93. There is an incredible amount of information here and you should allow at the very least 90 minutes.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the exhibition is the Memorial hall which honours the victims and where you will find portraits of the nearly 3000 men women and children that lost their lives on that terrible day.

It is a quiet room where you are invited to sit and for a moment reflect on the tragedy that not only befell the victims of 9/11 but to ponder how events of such a scale affect us all.

The final part of the exhibition are the pools with the names of the  2,983 victims inscribed on 76 bronze plates attached to the parapets.The rest of the center are the nearly 400 trees. This is an incredibly atmospheric place and a must do on any visit to NY. For more information and to purchase tickets online click here.