Come Along to a Museum: 9/11 Museum
Come Along to a Museum: 9/11 Museum and Memorial
On September 11, 2001, I was 14, and while I emptied the dishwasher before school I listened to the radio. That’s my memory of learning about what was happening that day. Millions of people have their own stories and memories. So many personal experiences and others farther removed. That is part of what makes the job of the 9/11 Museum and Memorial so big. A spectrum of creating a memorial and safe space for the family and friends that lost loved ones as well as those who lived through it. To educating people from around the world who weren’t even alive when it happened. And as someone who has work in museum and even got a degree in them, I think they’ve done a fantastic job. The museum is very well done, giving different experiences for visitors with different levels of memory and knowledge.
9/11 Memorial in NYC
First - the Logistics. If you are not using a New York Pass or something similar, buy your tickets online. The museum has timed entrances and getting you tickets beforehand saves you time and gives you more time for experiencing the museum or other things. For those with a New York Pass, admission is included, but you have to go in person to get your ticket entry time. There will be a line. My advice, go early and then pick an entry time for early afternoon. Then go get brunch or plan to visit a different nearby attraction. This way you have plenty of time in the museum (I wouldn’t plan anything after except dinner. Its a great museum with a heavy subject and you’ll need to decompress.). Already planning to have a later time to enter the museum means you won’t have an awkward space between getting your ticket and entry.
You will not be able to see everything. Pick what is important to you. There is an app you can download that has “tours” on it. If you are feeling overwhelmed you can start there. They can give you a framework for going through the museum. If you see something that isn’t on the audio tour that catches your interest, you can pause and return to the tour when you are ready.
Travel Tip - Download the museum app for different audio tour options.
Everyone walking into the 9/11 Museum has a different perspective. For those of us who were alive and old enough to remember we have a shared event that ties us together. Yet based on who we are and where we were, we have very different memories and responses. It hits differently for those you lived through it in New York City or Washington, D.C., than for someone in Indiana. Its different for a U.S. citizen that for a citizen of Italy. The museum allows all of us to process, honor and grieve from our own perspectives and experiences. And for those that weren’t born yet or too young to remember, to learn and honor those who lost their lives and those who are still dealing with it everyday.
From the outside the museum doesn’t look very big and that’s because most of it is underground. They’ve turned the sight itself into the museum. So you’ll see walls , pilings, and stairs and the outside of the reflection memorial pools. It will take longer than you think to visit because you don’t realize how big it is. There are objects and history to see on the way down to the main areas. There is an exhibit focused on those that lost their lives, in the space where one of the towers stood and where the other tower stood is an exhibit on what happened, when and the emergency response. I would suggest visit the memorials above, both before and after. Before, to help you get in the right frame of mind for what you are going to see and learn. After, to reflect with a deeper understanding and knowledge of the names on the memorials.
A few quick things -
There are people of all different ages and places who come to this museum. It is a heavy subject matter. They will not all respond and process the way you would. Example - if a group of teens is quietly giggling in a corner, they are not necessarily trying to be disrespectful. They haven’t processed what they’re seeing, don’t want to cry in front of their friends and that’s the way their brains can handle it. Let the museum employees handle those sitiuations.
If you , for a variety of reasons, cannot visit New York City and the 9/11 Museum, I would still recommend downloading the app. The audio tours have a photo of what each clip is talking about. The building history is especially interesting on how and why the museum was built the way it was.