Do you remember where you were at 8:46 am on September 11, 2001?

I do. While we were at our jobs, at home or running errands, more than 3,000 people lost their lives.

3,000 innocent people. It’s still hard to comprehend 11 years later.

Today, I’d like to honor the lives that were lost, and I’d like  you to join me… with the help of some of the most amazing 9/11 memorials I’ve ever seen or visited.

Read about them, share them, and most of all, take a moment to remember:

National September 11 Memorial

Ground Zero, New York City

Where the Twin Towers used to be are two of the largest manmade waterfalls on the continent. The names of the nearly 3,000 people who died in both World Trade Center attacks (1993 and 2001) are engraved in the bronze edging of the pools. The Memorial pools are meant to be a “powerful reminder of the largest loss of life resulting from a foreign attack on American soil and the greatest single loss of rescue personnel in American history.”

The design was chosen from more than 5,200 entries in an international design contest. Visit this memorial at Ground Zero, and the soothing sounds of the water flowing take you away from the hustle and bustle of New York City. Its green, peaceful environment provides a quiet place to mourn, while a small area called Memorial Glade provides a space for memorial ceremonies and gatherings.

To the Struggle Against World Terrorism

Bayonne Harbor, New Jersey

Artist Zurab Tsereteli wanted to find a way to express the pain and grief of 9/11 survivors. The result? A 100-foot-tall bronze monument with a 4-ton nickel tear drop. Dedicated on September 11, 2006 in Bayonne Harbor, New Jersey, Tsereteli’s monument faces New York’s waterfront, directly facing the spot in the skyline where the Twin Towers used to be.

From Bayonne Harbor, the Twin Towers looked like one building, which is why Tsereteli’s memorial is one large tower with a tear in the middle to represent the grief surrounding 9/11, but also a hope for an end to future terrorism. The tear in the monument is mirror-like, allowing the visitor to essentially become a part of the memorial.

Lindhurst 9/11 Memorial

Meadowlands, New Jersey

This memorial may not be as well-known, but it’s my favorite. Unlike the other memorials around the world, this one provides a green, peaceful place to reflect and pay tribute to those lost on 9/11. It consists of 2 piers surfaced with 110 boards representing the 110 floors in the World Trade Center.

The best part about this memorial? The steel sculpture right next to it – it paints a silhouette of the New York skyline before the Twin Towers were hit. Visitors can stand on the set of foot prints engraved next to the walkway on the pier, and reflect. The memorial is made complete with a porcelain plaque that reads “In the night of death, hope sees a star, and listening love can hear the rustle of a wing.”

The Sphere

Battery Park, New York City

When German sculptor, Fritz Koenig created The Sphere in time for the opening of the World Trade Centers in 1971, it was meant to symbolize world peace through world trade. Originally located in the center of the World Trade Center Plaza, The Sphere took a hit during the 9/11 attacks, but ironically survived 9/11 with only a few dents and holes.

When recovered by fire fighters after 9/11, 2 items were found inside of it: a Bible and an airline seat. Talk about coincidences. Now The Sphere isn’t just a decorative structure – it’s “an icon of hope and indestructible spirit of this country.” Placed in Battery Park, its beauty is based on the fact that it stands the way it did on September 11, 2001: dented, bent, and perfectly imperfect.

Postcards

Staten Island, New York City

On September 11, 2001, the Staten Island community faced the loss of 274 people – one of the hardest hits any community took. This memorial was constructed as a place to allow members of the community to come and reflect the lives of their loved ones. The structure is made up of 2 thin, white structures that represent postcards to the loved ones. Each victim is honored with a 9 x 11 granite plaque, serving as their cemetery since most victim’s remains were lost in the attacks.

What’s most interesting about this memorial is that from afar, it appears to be a blossoming flower, representing regrowth and new beginnings. This fits the memorial perfectly, showing anyone who sees the memorial that despite 9/11, we still stand strong.

A Place of Remembrance

Boston-Logan International Airport, Massachussets

When passengers on American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 departed for Los Angeles the morning of September 11, 2001, it would be the last trip they ever took. To represent the lives lost on those planes, A Place of Remembrance was created through a public design contest.

This memorial is a glass cube consisting of 2 glass panels with the victims’ names etched in them. The ceiling of the memorial looks like a “fractured sky” because according to the designer of this memorial, “No one ever looked at the sky the same way again.”

It’s your turn to honor

In honor of those lives lost, this blog was posted at 8:46 am. And when it was posted, I took a moment to remember the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Today, I ask you to do the same thing. Take just one minute of your day and remember the 3,000 victims.

If you lost someone special on September 11, write one thing you remember about them in the comments below. Please share this blog and help as many people as you can remember September 11 and take a moment to honor the lives lost.

Krystal Penrose

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