Open the 9/11 Memorial: The Visit (Part 2)

Panoramic views of the 9/11 Memorial. Click on the image for a larger view.
(photos: TheHopefulTraveler)

This post continues with more pictures from my visit to the 9/11 Memorial. See the previous post for Part 1 or click HERE.

SURVIVOR TREE & MEMORIAL PLAZA

All but one of the trees on the Memorial are swamp white oaks. The exception
is a Callery pear tree known as the "Survivor Tree." This tree was planted on
the original World Trade Center Plaza in the 1970s. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

After 9/11, workers found this tree, which was reduced to an eight-food stump,
in the wreckage at Ground Zero. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Branches of the Survivor Tree. The tree was nursed back to health in a New
York City park and grew to be 30 feet tall. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

In December 2010, the tree was returned to the WTC site. It embodies the
story of survival and resilience that is so important to the history of 9/11.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

When complete the plaza will include more than 400 swamp white
oak trees. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The trees were selected from nurseries within a 500-mile radius of
the three attack sites. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The plaza design conveys a spirit of hope and renewal and creates a
contemplative space separate from the usual sights and sounds of a
bustling metropolis. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The memorial covers eight-acres.  The trees bring green rebirth in the spring,
provide cooling shade in the summer and show seasonal color
 in the fall. (photo:TheHopefulTraveler)

The small clearing in the grove, known as the Memorial Glade, designates
a space for gatherings and special ceremonies. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

WORLD TRADE CENTER OFFICE TOWERS

At 1,776, One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower) will be the tallest building
 in the United States and include 2.6 million square feet of office space,
an observation deck, world-class restaurants and broadcast and antennae
facilities. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

A World Trade Center tower dwarfs the 9/11 Memorial Museum.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Construction continues for several new towers around the eight-acre memorial.
Above 5 World Trade Center replaces the former Deutsche Bank Building site,
rising higher than its neighboring buildings. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

3 World Trade Center construction continues. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

9/11 MEMORIAL MUSEUM

The memorial museum is not yet opened. But peek through the glass-and-
steel pavilion and see a portion of one of the WTC tridents (forked columns
from the original facade of the North Tower). Just one of the many
authentic artifacts that will be exhibited in the museum. (photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

9/11 MEMORIAL VISITOR CENTER

The visitor center is located near the 9/11 Memorial at 90 West Street (Corner
of Albany Street). Admission is free. Open 365 days a year. Daily 10am-
8pm (times may vary during off-peak season). Keepsakes and mementoes are
available at the center.  (photo:TheHopefulTraveler)

Genuine artifacts and rotating exhibits are on view in the center. Approximately
1.8 million tons of material was removed from Ground Zero. Some 1500 pieces
of structural steel was saved including this piece on display.
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

The recovered wallet, identification card, and ring of Robert Joseph Gschaar:
(photo: TheHopefulTraveler)

Robert Gschaar (Mar 8, 1946-Sept 11, 2001) presented a $2 bill to Myrta Alvarado when he asked her to marry him. Describing their romance as a second chance for two people who had been married before, he placed a second symbolic $2 bill in his own wallet. One September 11, 2001, Robert was on the 92nd floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center where he had recently begun a new job as an insurance underwriter at Aon Corporation. He spoke with Myrta on the telephone after the first plane hit and said he was evacuating, and would call her back later. She never heard from him again. When the NYPD's World Trade Center Property Recovery Unit notified Myrta that Robert's wallet had been found, Myrta felt the $2 bill inside yielded the proof she needed to accept her husband's death.