9/11

I was sleeping. I didn't have class until 12:30. The phone rang. She said a plane had flown into the World Trade towers in New York. Turn on the news.

It's been seven years since then, and I never thought I'd be living in New York, walking past the exact site every day. It's been fascinating to watch the events leading up to the anniversary in this city. The number of police on the streets has multiplied dramatically. Streets near Ground Zero are blocked off for no apparent reason. The plaza I crossed on my walk to work has been taken over with plastic tents and what will apparently be a stage. Signs and posters have started appearing in remembrance of the victims and the civil servants who went in after them. It's a more somber attitude in the city these days.

When you walk past Ground Zero every day, you tend to forget it's there, stepping over the tourists who are trying to look through the fences on your way to work. But this week it's been hard to ignore. And I'm posting this at 1 a.m. on Sept. 11, so I'm interested to see what it's like on my way to work later today.

There are signs of hope and progress though as builders finally make headway at Ground Zero.

I tried to take a photo of the construction from the train station, but it's hard to do with the screens.


Coming out of the train station


This was hanging outside the train station today


Where the towers stood



But so far my favorite part has been the Tribute in Lights. Hopefully I can get pictures tomorrow night. For some reason, it's just such a powerful image. Looking at photos of it is one thing. But standing beneath them, knowing what happened in that spot, it's something else.