Tag Archives: 9/11 memorial

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site

City Figuring Out How to Handle Tour Bus Traffic to 9/11 Memorial

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site
Illustration of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Credit: Renewnyc.com)

Millions of visitors are expected to flood into the September 11th Memorial at the World Trade Center site, many traveling from sizeable distances via a bus. The Tribeca Trib reports that the city has yet to figure out how to handle the influx and volume of bus traffic. The Community Board 1 is looking at a variety of possible plans pertaining to where the buses will drop off their tour groups, where they will park and how many buses the streets of Manhattan can physically handle, but no solutions have been provided nor have problems and concerns been resolved.

The only information provided was that officials said that they were considering several possible drop-off and layover locations. A concrete plan is expected to be hammered out by April, which is next month, so time is of the essence. One suggestion that was bandied about was to have the tour bus companies shuttle passengers between Long Island City or Liberty State Park, where memorial visitors can take the subway, PATH or ferry. It’s efficient, and those are typical touristy things that visitors like to do and experience while traipsing around the Big Apple.

City officials and Memorial staff are hoping that a timed reservation system, similar to the one used for the Statue of Liberty, will help lighten the load.

What are you planning to do to commemorate September 11th?

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site

September 11th Memorial Will Offer Limited Access After Opening

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site
Illustration of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Credit: Renewnyc.com)

According to AP/CBS New York, while the September 11th memorial will be open and ready for visitors this year as we remember the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, the memorial won’t be easily accessible for years to come. Joe Daniels, the president of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said that years will pass before the millions of people who want to pay their respects and visit the center will have easy access to the site due to ongoing construction.

Visitors will be given the opportunity to view the memorial from all sides, but they will be hampered by construction noise as skyscrapers are being erected; the transit hub will also create noise, as construction workers toils to complete the job. Visitors will only be able to use a single entrance and at certain points will be required to wear a hard hat due to safety concerns.

Also, visitors will be required to make a reservation for a pass in order to obtain access. Reservations will be made online and will be free and for specific dates and times, Daniels said.

Additionally, relatives of victims of the attacks will be given special consideration for visitation rights.

If the thought of surrounding noise and limited access sours your desire to visit the memorial, consider that the earliest visitors will be able to enjoy historic, one-of-a-kind views of the rebuilding process. Daniels effectively summed it up, telling The Associated Press that “It’s the front-row seat of seeing the tallest building in the United States built.”

Are you planning to visit a restricted September 11th memorial this year?

A visual depiction of the world trade center site

673 Officers to be Assigned to New World Trade Center

All of the officers will be placed once buildings are complete
An illustration of the WTC site

The new World Trade Center site is scheduled to open with a 9/11 memorial planned for September 11, 2011, which is the tenth anniversary of the terror attacks. The site will eventually have 673 officers assigned to patrol it and keep it safe.

The Washington Post reports that New York Police Department Commissioner Raymond Kelly revealed the news on Tuesday when he spoke about the security needs for the 9/11 memorial and the new buildings that are slated to open after the fact. The full 673 officers won’t be in place until all the buildings on the site are completely erected. Kelly also acknowledged that the memorial and the site require special attention and even more security detail because they remain terrorist targets.

Do you think 673 offices is enough to keep the site safe?

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site

9/11 Memorial Visitors Will Require Advance Tickets

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site
Illustration of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Credit: Renewnyc.com)

If you want to visit the September 11 memorial next Fall, Mayor Bloomberg suggests that you plan on reserving advance tickets, reports DNA Info. However, ticketing will be done for safety reasons, not for profit.

The plaza is set to open on September 11, 2011, a decade after the terror attacks but the overall site will still be surrounded by ongoing construction, making it unsafe for open public access. The construction of the 1,776-foot-tall One World Trade Center and the PATH hub will be happening concurrently.

“We anticipate having ticketing so we can control the number of people who go through security and get onto the plaza, so we don’t have a crush,” said Bloomberg, who serves as the chairmain for  is also chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum foundation. “We want to ensure people [who take bus tours of lower Manhattan] will be able to get in.” Tickets will be free, but how many people will be allowed to visit the site has yet to be determined.  Officials do predict that five to seven million visitors to make the pilgrimage to the site in the first year.

Additionally, the 9/11 museum, on tap to open in 2012, is also expected to require tickets for entry.

Do you plan to visit the 9/11  memorial when it opens?

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site

9/11 Memorial Designer Reflects on Design As It Nears Completion

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site
Illustration of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Credit: Renewnyc.com)

In 2003, architect Michael Arad was just one of 5,201 entrants in a pool of designers that spanned six continents, 49 states and 63 nations. These visionaries were vying for the chance to design the 9/11 memorial, thanks to a contest launched by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation. Arad’s design, “Reflecting Absence,” was chosen as the winning memorial and it will come to fruition next September 11, which will mark the 10th anniversary of the terror attacks and the fall of the Twin Towers. Arad’s design will serve as national memorial of the day, situated right here in Lower Manhattan.

“The weight of history is so heavy here that you just want to get out of the way and let it speak for itself,” Arad told FOX News.  He was an eyewitness to the events that changed life as we know it, which is why his design, which includes two massive waterfalls filling the footprints of the towers, resonated and was ultimately selected. “I left home and the towers were standing, and I came home and they were gone,” he said.

Arad’s Hudson River-influenced vision is inching closer to actualization, as last week, water was pumped through the structure for the very first time. “To hear the water falling behind me, it’s kind of an incredible soundtrack,” he said. “I’ve been waiting to hear this for years.” The fountains will be framed by panels etched with the names of those lost in the attacks.

Will you visit Ground Zero and Arad’s memorial on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks?

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site

Trees Grow at the World Trade Center Site

9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site
Illustration of the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center site. (Credit: Renewnyc.com)

New life has been planted giving way to the birth of the 9/11 Memorial Center at the Ground Zero site over the weekend.

A welcomed change and a stark contrast to the hulking metallic structures we have grown accustomed to in our area.

The first trees have been planted after being transported from a New Jersey nursery. At least a dozen oak trees had been slated to be planted before the 9th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Nearly 400 trees will be planted when the entire Memorial Plaza is completed. The trees are expected to be fully grown at 80 feet and will tower over a planned rooftop garden. The trees will be planted around the perimeters of the original footprints of the Twin Towers.

NJ Nursery where the memorial trees were cultivated
NJ Nursery where the memorial trees were cultivated (Credit: Renewnyc.com)
Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.

Is Battery Park City Ready for the Tour Bus Invasion?

Battery Park City to be inundated with tourbus congestion.
Do we need more tour bus congestion in Battery Park City? (Courtesy: quiteallright.blogspot.com)

Think the traffic in Lower Manhattan sucks now? Well, chances are it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

When the 9/11 Memorial & Musem opens at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, 2011, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the attacks, even more tourist-filled buses than usual will be descending upon our beloved Battery Park City. We say “even more” because a recent survey shows that Lower Manhattan already gets about 80 tour buses daily, and that does not count the bevy of MTA buses running their daily routes.

The 9/11 Memorial is expected to attract 2 million additional tourists per year, and as many as 7 million in its first year. And guess what? The camera-toting, finger-pointing masses are going to need a way to get down to Ground Zero. Translation: Prepare for the tour bus invasion.

But wait, you say, plans for this memorial have been in the works since 2002, so the Port Authority must have devised some kind of plan for dealing with the increased traffic from tour buses. Actually, they haven’t — at least, not yet.

According to AM New York, Community Board 1 official Michael Levine told the city council on Monday that, “It’s a major concern for us that we have not seen a plan for the buses.” He continued: “We have too many tour buses out there. We are concerned about the health, safety and security issues.”

While a Port Authority spokesman claims that the agency is working to formulate “an appropriate plan to accommodate tour buses,” he declined to say when that plan would be released.

Meanwhile, Battery Park City residents appear to be split on the issue. Some believe that BPC and the Ground Zero area are already too crowded and that the influx of more tourists will be a burden to the families currently living in the area. But others, business owners mostly, are salivating at the prospect of these bonus consumers.

Either way, one thing is certain: Beginning next year, you’re going to want to be extra careful to look for buses when crossing the BPC streets.