9/11 Memorial

For me, the trip to the 9/11 Memorial evoked many different emotions and feelings. After watching the news coverage of the 10^th Anniversary of 9/11, I did not expect to see the immensity of the memorial site. The television had only captured certain angles and views of a much large scene.  Financial buildings and corporate offices surround the site, and the nearby streets are teeming with workers and business. Yet as soon as I entered the memorial, that piece became blurred. Within in the site, there was a serene and quiet peace, everyone reverently tiptoed around and whispered softly, providing quite the contrast to the bustling surroundings. Another interesting aspect at the memorial was the individual commemorations left at some of the names. Families had come to pay tribute, leaving behind a small trinket or flower. These small tokens created a more personal and private memorial. Another curious characteristic of the memorial was the construction of the fountains. The water seemed to flow infinitely down and down, until it could no longer be seen. In my opinion, the flow of the waterfalls incited the image of falling towers on 9/11, when the collapses occurred the towers seemed to falling for an eternity. However, creating this image with water brings it to a new meaning with the water signifying a cleansing and purging—an opportunity to start anew and move forward.