5/31: Rain to wash away the tears

A short cab ride brought us into the heart of lower Manhattan. I wasn't prepared for the sight when we pulled up on the east side of the former World Trade Center, on Church St. In the middle of this giant city was about four square blocks of wide open space. I mean, I was prepared to see this, but I wasn't prepared for the emptiness. You'd think that over two years since the 9/11 attacks, as well as the fact I'm not a New Yorker would have made it easier to be there. But as I crossed the street to the WTC site, it was all I could do to hold back tears. As we walked around the site, it started to rain. It seemed appropriate, somehow perfect for Memorial Day in this place.

The WTC site itself, for all its emptiness and sadness, is, for lack of a better word, awesome. All sorts of memorials are everywhere along the fence, including the list of the names of the fallen. Nearly 2,800 of them. You could see taped up pieces of paper and pictures offering messages of hope and love to the dead and to New York. So many flags. And on the east side of the site, above all the construction and rubble stands a large red cross made from the beams from the twin towers. Just as the cross is the symbol of redemption and renewal, you could look around the site and see evidence of renewal. New drainage systems. Pedestrian walkways and overpasses. A subway entrance that doubles as a photo gallery. The reconstruction of the adjacent Ten House, the station that houses FDNY's Engine 10 and Ladder 10 (due to its close proximity, I think it was the first station to respond to the attacks).

And most beautiful, the reconstructed Winter Garden atrium at the World Financial Center, just on the other side of the West Side Highway. It features a display dedicated to the World Trade Center, its history, and its future: Freedom Tower. The plans look amazing, and it's speculated that the project will revitalize the city. I think it will, and it will return the WTC from a place of great sorrow to a place of inspiration once again.