On my first trip to NYC the skyline was complete. I remember going up to the Empire State building and taking pictures from every side. The most impressive photos were the ones with the twin towers in them. The World Trade Center buildings were the two tallest buildings in NY. When you looked up at them, you just couldn't believe just how tall they were.
On September 11, 2001 I awoke early as usual. One difference, it was Kai's fifth birthday. We had the news on. I was on my way to Kai's room to wake the birthday girl when Katie Couric came on the t.v. and started talking about the one tower having been hit by a plane. We, as the rest of the world sat there in shock looking at the images on the t.v. We just couldn't believe it. It was so sad and the days following were not any better.
The next time I went to New York, I went with Buddy. We spent an evening at was now ground zero. The vacancy that those building left in the center of this city was nothing I could have imagined. Most of it had been cleaned up by the time we went. There was a time line posted on a chain link fence that showed you exactly what happened that day. There was a display of patches taken from fallen police officers and fire fighters. And of course, people were still leaving flowers. It was very surreal.
They are re-building the The World Trade Center, along with a memorial and a museum. To learn more about the re-building click here.
Unfortunately for Kai, she will wake up every morning of her birthday to sad remembrances and coverage of this sad and tragic day. We try to keep it from her, so that she can have a normal birthday, but it is pretty impossible. This past year, as I was driving her to school, she was sad because on the radio, they were playing some of the last 911 calls. It is just something that she has to get used to.
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