911 Memorial

On Sept 27 Nikki and I had the opportunity to tour the 911 Memorial at the World Trade Center Site.  We had a wonderful guide in Brenda Berkman ( one of the first woman in the NYFD) who spoke of her own experiences on 911 and the of the friends she lost that day.  While the tour was arranged through our union anyone can receive a similar tour from the 911 Tribute Center ( tributewtc.org), it changed the way I expected to see the memorial.

Most of the photos I took that day I took with my 50mm.  I find that it has become my lens of choice and while it took me a while to get used to 'zooming with my feet' I find the limitation refreshing.  The fact that I'm carrying less gear is an added bonus.

The North Tower Pool looking south west.  It was a beautiful day and the still water on top of the pools as well as the buildings around it reflected the sky.  I couldn't help but take these shots.

911 Memorial

Tower 1

Of course the most moving aspect of the memorial are the names cut out of the metal plates that at night are lite from below.  While we were there a dignitary from Poland was on site laying flowers and flags at the names of Polish citizens.  The victims of 911 come from as many as 90 countries.

On the birthdays of the victims are remembered by the memorial by placing a white rose at there name.  That drew my attention to the the name of Sylvia San Pio Resta.  She is among the eleven woman memorialized at the site that include the mention of their unborn child.  When I returned home I did a search on her name and discovered she died with her husband John Resta.  You can see his surname in the lower left corner of the photo, I was so taken by the thought of the lose of a mother and unborn child that I didn't even notice.

To see a slideshow of all the photos from this tour click 911 Memorial Tour