Every time I go to New York, I always end up walking, for one reason or another, past the 9/11 Memorial, which sits at the heart of the city’s tourist routes. And each time, it feels like a punch to the gut. Perhaps it’s because this place conjures up those terrible images that stay crystal clear in my mind; whatever the reason, I always pause before the two large pools that rise where the Twin Towers once stood — towers I climbed many times since childhood — to read some of the names of the 2,977 victims of the terrorist attacks engraved in the black granite. And the thought that they are no longer there, that they shattered like the ash of a lit cigarette, always leaves me speechless.
But at least once, one should enter the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center, better known as Ground Zero, at 180 Greenwich Street in Manhattan. And I did. If you were lucky enough to have ascended the Twin Towers, the impression you will take away changes dramatically. If, however, you are too young to remember 9/11, visiting the Memorial is essential to understand our modern history — and it’s not only about the United States, because more than 90 countries lost compatriots in the Twin Towers tragedy — so that it serves as a warning for the future.
Visit the National September 11 Memorial & Museum
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum, or the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, comprises an outdoor space and the subterranean museum.
The 9/11 Memorial
It was inaugurated on September 11, 2011, ten years after the attacks. Since then, it has been visited by millions of people every year. In 2024 alone, the Memorial was seen by 1.6 million visitors. It is an open and free space built on the site where the Twin Towers once stood.
The Pools
The design by architect Michael Arad and landscaper Peter Walker is titled “Reflecting Absence” and features two cascading pools surrounded by bronze parapets bearing the names of the victims of the 9/11 attacks and the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. The pools occupy a plaza with more than 400 white oaks.
The Glade – The Clearing
The two designers of the 9/11 Memorial also conceived The Glade as a pathway lined with six large stone monoliths, each weighing 13 to 18 tons, inlaid with steel from the World Trade Center and accompanied by an inscription at the ends of the path. Opened in 2019, it sits near the Survivor Tree, roughly where the main ramp used during rescue and recovery operations once stood.
The Survivor Tree – The Tree of the Survivors
An apple tree is the “Tree of the Survivors,” the only one to have endured the 9/11 terrorist attacks. With some burnt branches and damaged roots, it was recovered by the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation and replanted in 2010. It is easily recognizable among Ground Zero’s other flora by the multitude of mementos left at its base.
The 9/11 Museum
The 9/11 Museum is a true indoor museum, partly underground, as it sits where the foundations of the Twin Towers — the slab — remain, with some pillars. As soon as you enter, you can’t miss the blue wall bearing a line from Virgil’s Aeneid, Book IX: “NO DAY SHALL ERASE YOU FROM MEMORY OF TIME” (in Latin, “Nulla dies umquam memori vos eximet aevo,” “No day will ever erase you from the memory of time”).
Historical Exhibition
In the introductory area there is the Historical Exhibition, which recounts the story of the 11 September 2001 events, divided into three sections: “Before 9/11” about the historical context and the circumstances that led to the terrorist attacks; “The Events of the Day” with minute-by-minute coverage of the attacks; and “After 9/11” on the immediate and long-term consequences of the event.
The Collection
Inside the museum, thousands of mementos that recall that day are preserved, including documents, artifacts, audio recordings, photographs, and historical materials related both to 9/11 and to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which is all too often overlooked. This area is called The Collection. Among these, the “Last Column” stands out for its size and meaning — the last steel column removed from the towers’ wreckage, later decorated with dedications, symbols, and signatures — and the original Hudson River bulkhead that runs just a few hundred meters from the site, known as the “slurry wall,” which withstood the towers’ collapse. These are part of the Permanent Collection. And there is a damaged fire truck belonging to the firefighters, heroes of 9/11.
Memorial Exhibition
By contrast, the Memorial Exhibition comprises roughly 3,000 portraits of the victims, displayed on wall panels with interactive tablets to search for personal information. There are also Special Exhibitions. The most moving part is the underground, immersive passage that leads into the depths of the World Trade Center site. Additionally, a room, the K-9 Courage Exhibition, was dedicated to the true heroes of 9/11—the police dogs whose interventions were crucial in rescuing the victims.
The museum charges an admission fee (the full-price ticket is $36) and it is included in CityPASS (which I always recommend buying to save money and speed up visits). It is open every day except Tuesday (except in exceptional circumstances) from 9:00 to 19:00 (last entry 90 minutes before closing). Booking is mandatory.
