In 1997 I visited New York, and like most tourists of the day went downtown to go to the top of the World Trade Center.
Lucky for me, the weather was fine and clear, so they actually allowed us out onto the roof.
5 years later, that building laid in dust after America’s worst terror attack. Broadcast live across the world 2 billion watched as the iconic building crumbled after planes flew into the towers, a terror plot from Al Queda.
21 years later I had a chance to visit New York again and went to that same site. Now the site is a memorial to those who died on that day.
Two waterfall fountains lie on the footprint of the original buildings and below the memorial pays tribute and remembers with personal stories, a collection of artwork, artefacts and new clips.
I’ll never forget that day.
These photos are from Freedom Tower, WTC1 and the Occulus (built over the former subway where so many first responders died as the building collapsed). I did not take photos inside the actual memorial & museum. I thought that would have been disrespectful.