The memorial at Ground Zero commemorating the terrorist attacks of 9/11 has drawn millions of visitors since its completion last year. On this 11th anniversary, victims’ families visited the site to remember their loved ones. Kathleen O’Brien, columnist for The Star-Ledger, has visited the site and spoken to visitors. She told NJ Today Senior Correspondent Desirée Taylor that people from all over the world have visited the site, which saw more traffic than most New York City tourist attractions last year.
O’Brien said she was most struck by how many visitors from other countries were at Ground Zero. “Every 10 feet you would hear another language and it reminded me that the World Trade Center was truly an international place of commerce,” she said. Even though there were victims from 90 countries, she said many international visitors were there to pay their respects to the Americans who perished. She said America got the sympathy of the world after the attacks, which she said still exists at the memorial.
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The site itself serves as a memorial, but also as a battlefield and a cemetery, according to O’Brien. She said some people she spoke with felt the reflecting pools were very soothing while others found them unnerving. “The water cascades suddenly, violently. It plunges 30 feet. Then it calms down. Then it disappears into a second void. So that can … churn up uncomfortable emotions,” she said. “It’s a peaceful place, but it’s not a happy place.”
O’Brien said she believes people from around the world will continue to visit Ground Zero. She said she was surprised by the number of visitors the site had last year — 4.5 million. To put the number in perspective, she said the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building each had 4 million visitors. The only New York City attraction she found with more visitors than Ground Zero was the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
“So already in one year with no advertising or marketing of this place, people are coming there in record numbers. Even though the museum is not open and won’t be open for years but people do feel a strong sense of obligation to come and pay their respects and see the site for themselves,” O’Brien said. “So many people watched the attacks on television that they sort of feel they know the lay of the land there, but they want to see it in person.”