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Cranes
and other construction equipment are visible over
a covered fence surrounding the World Trade Center
site, where a memorial and museum are being built.
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NEW YORK — The site of
the worst act of terrorism on U.S. soil stands shielded
from view behind a chain-link fence covered in banners.
Towering cranes and other construction equipment are all
that can be seen where the World Trade Center once stood.
By late 2011, New York City
hopes to unveil the first phase of the National September
11 Memorial and Museum at this site. Until then, those
wishing to pay their respects can do so at the nearby
Tribute WTC Visitor Center on Liberty Street and the 9/11
Memorial Preview Site on Vesey Street.
The visitor center puts a
personal face on the events and aftermath of Sept. 11,
2001. Covering the walls are panoramic images of the
planes flying into the Twin Towers, the buildings
crumbling and the rescue and recovery efforts. The center
is divided into five galleries, including a timeline
showing the 2001 and 1993 terrorist attacks at the World
Trade Center and a collage of photographs and mementos
shared by family members of the victims.
The most harrowing feature
is a bright blue wall that shifts into a gray cloud of
posters of people who went missing Sept. 11, 2001.
The 9/11 Memorial Preview
Site also presents a pictorial timeline of that day, as
well as a video montage from eyewitnesses and family
members of the victims. But here you will find more
detailed exhibits devoted to the memorial itself.
The highlight is a scale
model of what the reconstructed site will look like. Most
prominent is the planned 1,776-foot-tall Freedom Tower. It
accompanies an 8-acre Memorial Plaza, featuring 400 oak
trees surrounding two Memorial Pools. These massive
reflecting pools will be set in the footprint of the Twin
Towers, with waterfalls cascading down the four sides of
each. Inscribed around the pools' edges will be the names
of the 2,998 people killed in New York City, Pennsylvania
and the Pentagon, as well as the six who died in the 1993
World Trade Center bombing.
At the preview site,
visitors also can see real-time updates on the
construction. Artifacts from Sept. 11, 2001, include a
Statue of Liberty rendition draped in cards and mementos
left to memorialize the victims and the helmet worn by Lt.
Mickey Koss, a firefighter who survived the north tower's
collapse.
For those who want a more
intimate reminder, guided and self-guided audio tours are
available at the visitor center. Both take guests around
the perimeter of the WTC site. The audio tour relates
personal stories from family members, workers, police,
firefighters, Lower Manhattan residents and rescue
workers. Guided tours are conducted by those who were
affected personally by the terrorist attack.
Together, the visitor
center, preview site and tours offer visitors a glimpse
into the past and future of the World Trade Center.
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IF YOU GO:
TRIBUTE WTC VISITOR CENTER:
120 Liberty St., New York; 866-737-1184;
www.tributewtc.org. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays and
Wednesdays-Saturdays, noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays and noon-5 p.m.
Sundays. Admission $10.
9/11 MEMORIAL PREVIEW SITE:
20 Vesey St. (at Church Street), New York; 212-267-2047;
www.national911memorial.org. Open 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays-Saturdays, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Thursdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays. Admission free.
TOURS: Guided and
self-guided audio tours are available around the perimeter
of the World Trade Center site. Guided tours are about 1
hour and 15 minutes long. Cost $10. Details:
www.tributewtc.org.
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