9/11 museum

certain days in the city offer certain free activities (or pay what you wish activities=free)
tuesday is free 9/11 museum day.
from 5-7 you can bypass the $24 entrance fee
i didn't know what to expect.
here's what to expect-
they start to pass out tickets at 4:30
we lined up around 4, there was already a pretty respectable line.
it wasn't really a line just a mob of people crammed in a corner.
it was so so so hot.
we took our time in line when we were lucky enough to pause at some shade.
i feared we wouldn't be able to get tickets, but there were so many tickets.
they only hand out one per person- so make sure everyone in your group is there.
when i saw everyone that was there i thought, "we are going to be crammed in there- it's going to be crazy."
we filed in (by we i mean maggie, hannah, and i- we thought we could get dale, mary, and michael stahl a ticket but that one per a person really dampened our plans).
went through security and.....
let's let the pictures help tell the rest of the story.

the exterior is extra deceiving. 

this museum is **massive**

the building you see is only the security check point, ticket booth, and escalators to the museum.

my fear of overcrowding was instantly dissipated. 

the first big museum piece when you enter. 

i had seen it before from the outside looking in. 

 by placing this at the entrance they instantly instilled a reverence. 

 i think this museum was magnificently done. 

a reminder portrait upon entering. 

all around you you could hear first hand accounts/memories of people from the speaker system.

 then there was this hall with large draped screens 

that projected the accounts you heard into words on this flat map of the world. 

it was the perfect blend of somber and beauty. 

most of the museum is lined with the most beautiful dark wood- it's like a work of art all in itself. 

 after the intial hallway 

it opens up into this massive expanse. 

you walk out on this balcony and you can see the majority of the museum below. 

on you're walk down they have portraits of the towers, metal remains, and information plaques. 

i never expected it to be this big. 

they also had a map of where you were in respect to the original towers. 

 the main balcony view. 

reverence encased the whole museum. 

 this wall was apart of the original towers. 

it was used to help protect again flooding from the hudson river. 

 down on the bottom level they have a lot of different exhibits. 

the first one we saw was a collection of things people had created in memory of those lost. 

this urn was incredible. 

the teeny tiny etchings are the names of all those lost. 

 i think it's safe to say this was the most incredible quilt i have ever seen. 

it was massive- and i mean massive. 

it includes a portrait of each of the victims categorized by where the lost their lives. 

by each of the spots there was a mural of the area- so for the pentagon they had created a portion that looked like the pentagon. 

around the pentagon picture are the pictures of those lost at that location. 

for the towers they used the pictures of each of the victims for the picture of the tower. 

it was **incredible** 

 this is the staircase many used to escape the towers. 

my heart felt especially heavy when i saw this. 

 they showed a lot of before and after pictures. 

they were lovely weren't they- nyc skyline will never be the same. 

what an awful, terrible tragedy. 

 this has to be one of the most high tech museums i have ever been to. 

at the benches in one area they had these devices you could listen to recorded accounts of 9/11. 

they also had a recording studio area where you could record you're memories/reaction/opinion on you're 9/11 experience. 

they had so many different projections that i lost count. 

things made into screens displaying some of the loveliest of tributes all over the museum. 

 seeing displays like this broke my heart and filled it with gratitude for the unselfish service of others. 

 one of my favorite areas was this room- it brought to life the reality of this tragedy.

a massive room filled with all the pictures of the victims and some of their personal belongings. 

sometimes you can't believe things like this are real. 

this made it real. 

it's important we remember all those that were lost by this tragedy. 

this room was beautifully created. 

a fitting tribute to the innocent that were lost. 

 throughout the whole room their are remains of the pillars and foundation of the original buildings. 

these squares are filed down portions of the steel beams of the towers. 

 in another area they had these screens you could write a message or memory about 9/11. 

the map above displays you're message according to you're world location. 

brilliant idea- that was masterfully and beautifully executed. 

 this is the final beam that remained at the site. 

covered with reminders of those that were lost. 

it was one of the most beautiful and lovely displays i've ever seen. 

 each of these blue squares are pieces of paper. 

each paper represents one of the victims. 

each paper is a unique shade of blue. 

behind this wall the remains of many of those lost are buried. 

it couldn't have been more beautiful. 

my favorite part of the museum they didn't allow photography. 

i wish i would have been able to spend more time in that area. 

it had displays from before 9/11, during 9/11, and post 9/11. 

in my opinion this could not have been more beautifully done. 

every inch of that museum was a lovely tribute to those lost on that tragic day. 

it was beautiful, reverent, and holy. 

a feeling surrounds and fills the spaces of this place like none you will feel anywhere else. 

grateful i had the opportunity to see it. 

it's a moment in my life i will never forget. 

my heart will always ache for those lost. 

thank you to those that remain that have given me such a resounding example of triumphing over tragedy.

you will never be forgotten.