Wow is all I can say when thinking about my trip to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. This memorial has a significant impact on New York and the United States. While we all know what went down on September 11, 2001, this museum has artifacts that will make you realize just how terrified citizens of New York felt on that day. Last week my blog was about the 9/11 memorial reflection pool, but this week I am going to talk about the 9/11 memorial museum. The reflection pool can be viewed from outside and above ground, but the museum is underground. After purchasing tickets, expect to be in the museum half of a day. The amount of artifacts and displays will take your breath away. After the attack, it took 9 months to clean up the 1.8 million tons of wreckage from the World Trade Center site. The property damage of the wreckage estimated to cost $100 billion dollars, while the total economic damage costed around $2 trillion dollars. These facts shocked me tremendously. The collapse time of the Twin Towers were ridiculously fast. The North tower collapsed within 11 seconds of being hit. The South tower collapsed within 9 seconds of being hit. The small amount of collapse time gave workers no chance of survival or a chance to escape. This museum has shirts, shoes, briefcases, papers, voicemails, and much more displayed from workers of the towers. Videos of workers jumping from the building will forever be stuck in my brain. Employers voicemails to loved ones were recorded and playing throughout the museum, and this hit me so hard. This time was terrifying for employees as well as their families. A picture that was displayed on the wall of the museum made me realize how fast life can change. I will attach the pictures, but it shows a view of the city before and after the attack on that day. The museum also has pieces of the original tower and is displayed as you walk down the stairs to the museum, after going through security. A firetruck used during this day has a spot in the museum as well. It is crazy to look the things used that day, because the heat shaped these objects and changed the way they look. The last piece of artifact that really hit me was the “Survival Staircase”. A piece of staircase is displayed, and it is the actual steps that people used to reach safety. This was a horrible attack on our nation, and this museum displays the reality of that horrible day.
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