9/11 Memorial

Last week (2 weeks ago?) my cousin Malissa come in town. We had her and her friend stay with us, because really, what good is having family in a cool city if you can't crash with them to save on hotel costs!? (Please, take that as an open invitation!)

Awesome cousin that she is, she reserved tickets to the 9/11 Memorial for us. Even MORE awesome cousin that she is, she waited with me for an hour so Dan could come after getting off work earlier than expected. Check out this site for an overview of the design.

It was really a neat experience. And I'm actually glad we ended up waiting for Dan (besides the obvious reasons). It was beautifully mesmerizing at night. The lights from the memorial, surrounded by the lights from the building; it was awesome. 

And the memorial itself was humbling. You can see in some of the pictures that the names of those who died are engraved around the edges of the memorial pools. There is no particular order, and no other identifier. Dan and I were both struck by the equality and the perspective represented. There was no way of knowing which was the CEO and which was the janitor. The only thing you could know about each name was that they were a person, a person who lost their life in that very spot where we stood. A person who left behind a life and loved ones. Those names serve as a blazing reminder of a bigger picture, a larger perspective. One that places no meaning on social status and job title. 

Here are a couple pictures of the waterfalls, flowing into a square void, over the foundations of both towers. (One you can see the names lit up around the edge). Below is a description of some of the symbolism of the pools.

   

"The massive reflecting pools surrounding the footprints of the twin towers serve a two-fold function. They highlight the voids where the towers once stood and, they provide a soothing backdrop, as the water falls down from one level to another, providing an appropriate contemplative aura. At the pools' edges, the victims' names are etched in bronze.

Michael Arad explained his intention and the importance of the highlighting the voids with water in Places magazine: "My idea was that you would be able to stand on the plaza above, and look down into the north and south pools. I thought the edge of this void would be where you would come to understand the enormity of the event, and of the destruction." (Places, May 2009) The impact, indeed, is just that. The depth and the breadth of the voids are impressive and visitors cannot help but be struck with awe, standing at the edges of the dramatic waterfalls.The water falling down from the ground level pools recalls ancient symbolism and the connections between water, death and memory. As Phillip Kennicott of the Washington Post informs, the ties between water and death go back to the ancient times: "Without reference to any single myth, the flowing waters suggest the River Styx, the boundary between life and death in Greek mythology. They also suggest portals, or whirlpools, through which one might pass to some unknown beyond, or the waters of death crossed by Gilgamesh in the old Sumerian epic."" -Source

All in all, a wonderful evening. Thanks Malissa... you da best!