25 Years Ago . . .

It hardly seems possible that today marks a quarter of a century since two hijacked planes struck the Twin Towers in NYC causing both to collapse, destroying the global business complex and killing nearly 3,000 people. 

Remembering the Twin Towers as they were and against the skyline of NYC before 2001.

Last December, I visited NYC and photographed One World Trade Center, now known as the Freedom Tower. In January, a post about my visit to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum brought back so many memories.

And, this is view shows the NYC skyline photographed in December 2025, forever changed.

The words Never Forget remain in our collective memory no matter how many years go by. Like so many others, I can recall where and what I was doing in my native NJ that fateful morning. 

Today, people, here in the U.S. and worldwide, will take time to recall the tragedies that resulted in the deaths of so many people, not only in NYC but in Washington, DC, and Shanksville, PA. We remember all of them and will Never Forget.

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FYI — Blogger seems to be having a new issue this week as fellow bloggers, including myself were having trouble uploading photos. That's what happened earlier when composing this post. I resolved it by dragging and dropping photos into the draft, not a permanent solution. Apparently, this latest issue has since been resolved — for now.

9/11 Memorial & Museum

One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower (far left) is the tallest U.S. building

This post details the final destination of my December 2025 spotlight NYC tour. While the tour visit to Ellis Island and the immigrant experience was sobering, this visit to the World Trade Center (WTC) site was the most overwhelming, so many lives lost.

The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 will always be remembered no matter how much time has passed. I was living in my native NJ and remember exactly where and what I was doing that morning, countless others can do the same. The words Never Forget are seared in our collective memory.

Previously, I had been in the World Trade Center when the North and South towers were under construction and later attended a concert in the plaza. The December 2025 visit was my first trip back to the site. 

So much has changed in the years since the attacks and subsequent rebuilding. This post shows some of the buildings and structures there now.

Completed in 2014, One World Trade Center, known as One WTC or the Freedom Tower, is the main building of the rebuilt complex. It was designed by American architect David Childs, who recent died (March 2025). It's a prominent landmark in lower Manhattan with its distinctive spire. The skyscraper is the tallest U.S. building, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, the 7th-tallest worldwide, and is the only U.S. building on the top 10 tallest list (Dubai has the tallest, then Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and China with the most at five.) . 

One World Trade Center or Freedom Tower

The skyscraper bears the same name as the original WTC North Tower destroyed in 2001. It's on the northwest corner of the 16-acre WTC site, on the site of the former 6 World Trade Center. Construction started in 2006 and was completed in May 2013 when the skyscraper's spire was installed making the building and its spire reach a total height of 1,776 feet. Yes, a deliberate reference to the year the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed. 

The Koenig Sphere, damaged but still standing in Liberty Park

It was quite amazing to see this sculpture. The Koenig Sphere is a monumental 25-foot, 25-ton metallic sculpture made of cast bronze. Although badly damaged, it was the only remaining work of art to be recovered largely intact from the ruins of the Twin Tower. 

Created by German artist Fritz Koenig as Sphere for a Plaza Fountain, the sculpture was formerly positioned at the center of Austin J. Tobin Plaza between the Twin Towers from 1972 until 2011. After being dismantled and stored near JFK International Airport, the sculpture was installed in Battery Park between 2002 and 2017, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey moved it to Liberty Park, overlooking the 9/11 Memorial and its original location. 

North Tower Memorial Pool 

The footprints of the North and South Towers of the WTC are marked by twin reflecting memorial pools. These two large, nearly acre-sized pools sit in the original square footprints of the towers each nearly an acre in size. Each pool features the largest man-made waterfall in North America. Each pool has a 30-foot waterfall that cascades into a deep, central void, where the towers once stood to symbolize loss and remembrance. The names of 9/11 victims are engraved around the edges of the pools on bronze panels. A flower is placed by the name on his/her birthday.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum or the 9/11 Memorial & Museum honors the 6 people killed in the February 26, 1993 explosion at the WTC and the 2,997 who died September 11, 2001, and those who risked their lives to save others.

It is operated by a non-profit institution whose mission is to raise funds to program and operate the memorial and museum at the WTC site. The museum contains exhibitions and educational programs that highlight events before, during and after 9/11 through artifacts, photos, and testimonies. 

The Memorial Exhibition (In Memoriam) honors victims with a Wall of Faces and also with exhibits of personal items. There is a very emotional impact standing inside the room of this exhibit even though I did not know any of these people, such sadness for lives lost both ion the attacks and rescue attempts.

Here are photos and descriptions of some of the other exhibits. As with any tour, there was limited time, so I tried to take in as many exhibits as possible.

WTC North and South Towers before 2001 attacks

Construction of the WTC started in August 1966. At 110 stories each, 1 World Trade Center, North Tower and 2 World Trade Center, South Tower, provided nearly 10 million square feet of office space. The towers were the tallest buildings in NYC, and briefly were the tallest buildings worldwide at over a quarter of a mile high. The North Tower stood at 1,368 fee and the South Tower at 1,362 feet. In 1974, they were surpassed by the Sears (Willis) Tower.

Dedication pedestal was found damaged, but largely intact

The first tenants moved into 1 World Trade Center in December 1970 and into 2 World Trade Center 13 months later before construction of either was completed. The world’s then tallest buildings were dedicated in 1973. A stainless steel pedestal was installed on the 5-acre plaza to commemorate the event: In commemoration of the skill and industry of the thousands of construction workers and Port Authority personnel whose efforts created the World Trade Center | World Trade Center dedication day April 4, 1973

Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning

The quote, No Day Shall Erase You From the Memory of Time, is from The Aeneid by Roman poet Virgil. New Mexico artist Tom Joyce forged each letter from pieces of recovered WTC steel. The mosaic is by New England artist Spencer Finch. Each of the 2,983 squares represents a victim of the 1993 or 2001 WTC attacks. Every one of the watercolor squares is a shade of blue. The artwork revolves around memory showing that our perception of the color blue might differ from that of another person. 

Remnants of box columns

Steel columns, called box columns, formed the rectangular shape and hollow center provided structural support for the Twin Towers to create their distinctive facades. At the end of the recovery period, what remained of these columns was cut to a level elevation leaving the remnants visible. The North Tower footprint was outlined by 84 columns; the South Tower had 73 columns.

Survivors' staircase

This 37-step portion of staircase made of granite and concrete was the last visible remaining original structure above ground level at the WTC site. It was originally an outdoor flight of stairs and two escalators, which connected Vesey St to the Austin J. Tobin Plaza at the WTC. The stairs were an escape route for hundreds of evacuees from 5 World Trade Center, a 9-floor building adjacent to the Twin Towers. In 2010 it became part of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Prior to the attacks it weighed 175 tons and was 22 feet high.

South Tower column

This column once stood in the core of the South Tower, probably between floors 30 and 33. During the tower’s collapse, extreme stresses caused the multi-ton piece of steel to fold over onto itself. Three of the four welds that held the column together split open.

Section of steel facade, North Tower, floors 93-99

Highjacked Flight 11 ripped through the north facade of the North Tower and created a gash from the 93rd to 99th floors tearing apart steel columns weighing many tons. The underbelly of the aircraft mangled this facade segment with force sufficient to twist and shred the steel. 

Segment of radio & TV antenna, formerly on North Tower

A transmission tower, about 360 feet tall, assembled on top of the roof of the North Tower began broadcasting TV signals in 1980. Transmissions for most stations failed after Flight 11 hit the North Tower on 9/11/2001. All transmissions ended by 10:28 am when the tower collapsed.

Lady Liberty stood outside a NYC firehouse

Weeks and months after the WTC attacks, a Statue of Liberty replica stood honor guard outside a NYC firehouse on 8th Ave and West 48th St. It's uncertain how the fiberglass statue suddenly appeared there. Its arrival soon resulted in ongoing, spontaneous ornamentation with messages and tributes left. Neighborhood volunteers arranged the offerings, along with other items that accumulated on sidewalks near the firehouse.

Covered with uniform patches, miniature American flags, money, mass cards, rosary beads, condolence notes, souvenir postcards, angel figurines and mementos from mourners and passersby, this unique memorial was donated to the 9/11 Memorial Museum in memory of firefighters from Engine 54/Ladder 4/Battalion 9 which lost 15 men on 9/11. 

Garage door from Brooklyn Heights fire company

This garage door is from a firehouse in Brooklyn Heights, home to FDNY Engine Company 205 and Ladder Company 118. The door features a mural honoring 8 members of the fire companies who were killed responding to the 9/11 attacks. Lt. Frank Visco, a former member of the firehouse helped develop the tribute with FDNY colleagues and a high school student, Kit Carbone, who sketched a design which includes the Brooklyn Bridge and a star for each firefighter who died. Vesco, Kia and her artist father painted the mural in 2002.

Ladder Company 3 Truck, NYC Fire Department

This battered fire truck is a central and very powerful artifact at the 9/11 Museum. FDNY Ladder Company 3 is located in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan. Ladder 3 responded to the WTC and when the North Tower collapsed, the truck was crushed and damaged beyond repair. It symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of first responders, particularly its crew led by Captain Patrick (Paddy) John Brown, who perished when the North Tower fell. Recovered from the rubble, it was lowered into the museum's exhibition space and is preserved with other artifacts, including rescue tools, as a tribute honoring fallen firefighters.

The Last Column is a 58-ton, 36-foot high piece of welded plate steel that was part of Column 1001B, one of 47 columns that supported the inner core of the South Tower. When the tower collapsed, this remnant remained anchored in bedrock, buried beneath the wreckage. It now stands in the center of the 9/11 Memorial Museum’s Foundation Hall, the column is covered in thousands of markings and tributes placed on the beam by workers and family members. 

Here's how and why the markings began to appear. George Luis Torres, FDNY Squad 41, began searching for survivors of 9/11 and also for six men from their unit who were missing. In March 2002, a tool marked Squad 41 was found.  When it became harder for Torres to keep track of the beam, he asked an on-site construction manager, the brother of a missing Squad 41 firefighter, to mark the location on an exposed beam. 

SQ 41 was sprayed on the column in yellow paint to indicate where traces of the men were found. Later, recovery workers asked the manager to spray E 214 and L 111. Within 24 hours the column was covered with other unit identifications and the first attachments of memorial tributes that grew over the months.

The Last Column beam became a symbol of loss, remembrance and of the community at ground zero. It was removed from the site on May 30, 2002, to mark the end of the recovery effort. The beam was brought to the 9/11 Museum in 2009.

The Oculus, directly across from the 9/11 Museum, is a transit hub and mall

Directly across the street from the 9/11 Memorial & Museum is The Oculus, an architectural landmark, transit hub and shopping mall designed by noted Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It serves as a major gateway connecting PATH trains, NYC subways, shops, restaurants and the  WTC complex. All seven buildings of the original were destroyed, along with the PATH train station that served millions of commuters who traveled daily to Lower Manhattan.  

Construction began in 2004 and 12 years later, it opened to the public. The structure’s white metal-clad steel ribs reach up and out to symbolize a hand releasing a dove, symbolizing peace and resilience after 9/11. The Oculus is in alignment with the sun’s solar angles each September 11 from 8:46 am, when the first plane struck, until 10:28 am, when the second tower collapsed. Called the Way of Light, Calatrava positioned the building slightly tilted from the street grid to achieve the effect.

Interior view of the Oculus

The Oculus is the third largest transportation center in NYC. (I checked and read that Penn Station and Grand Central Terminal are larger.) Its lays claim to being one of the most expensive train station worldwide. Opening 10 years later than planned, it cost double the original $2 billion dollars budget due to the elaborate design, use of custom-made materials and the need to hurry construction. 

About its name, I learned that it comes from the strip of windows or skylights along the spine of the roof. Oculus is the Latin word for “eye,” which, in architecture, refers to a round or eye-like opening usually in the center of a dome or wall which serves as a natural light source usually with a view of the sky. 

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This was quite a long post about my first (and most likely last) visit to the WTC site post 9/11. If you should, you may be amazed, like myself, by the quiet atmosphere and whispered voices of others touring the grounds, especially in the museum.

Just wondering if anyone wants to share where you were and what you were doing what on 9/11/2001. It was my first day of being downsized. I was home when a friend called and told me to turn on the TV. I did for the next 48 hours.

It's Grand in NYC

As described in a previous post, my last 2025 trip was a NYC holiday tour that included not only seeing festive lights, but also several of the city's iconic sites, which are grand both in name and fame.

The day of our flight, there had been a significant snowfall (for NYC) snowfall with up to 6 inches. It was enough to play havoc with airline schedules. My flight from Boston to LaGuardia was cancelled and then rescheduled within a few hours. After all passengers were onboard, the plane underwent icing treatment on the runway.

NYC's Central Park was a winter wonderland after the first snow of 2025

Central Park was transformed into a winter wonderland for several days afterwards. This urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in NYC was far from more built-up areas of the city when planning for the Park began in 1850s. Central Park was the first landscaped park in the U.S. It is the sixth-largest park in the city at 843 acres. Additionally, it's the most visited U.S. urban park with an estimated 50 million visitors annually. Central Park is a National Historic Landmark (1963) and a Scenic Landscape of the City of New York (1974).

Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, Central Park influenced the development of urban parks nationwide and is widely regarded a masterpiece of landscape architecture. Central Park is a National Historic Landmark (1963) and a Scenic Landscape of the City of New York (1974). Its 843 acres include wide lawns, woodlands, streams and lakes, experienced by traveling through the park along winding paths, a carriage drive and a bridle path. Over time, more features were added: baseball and soccer fields, bicycle paths, carousel, skating rinks, zoo, formal gardens, theater venues and commemoratives.

Imagine mosaic in Central park is dedicated to John Lennon

A black and white mosaic memorial is dedicated to John Lennon, the British rock musician, peace activist and Beatles co-founder who was killed nearby in 1980. It is located in Strawberry Fields, a five-acre landscape near the West 72nd Street entrance, where many come to pay tribute to Lennon. It is located across from the Dakota Apartments where Lennon and his wife, Yoko Ono, lived and where he loved to walk, Strawberry Fields is a reference to the 1967 song, Strawberry Fields Forever, that Lennon wrote and performed with the Beatles. Strawberry Fields was officially dedicated on October 9, 1985, the 45th anniversary of Lennon’s birth. The memorial was donated by the city of Naples, Italy. (There was no direct connection between Lennon and the city of Naples. The city donated the mosaic as a gesture of peace and artistic tribute to Lennon, honoring his message of unity through the song.)

Exteriors of Central Station in NYC

Another NYC landmark contains the word Central and is also Grand — Grand Central Terminal (known as GCT, Grand Central Station or just Grand Central) is a commuter rail terminal at 42nd St and Park Ave in Midtown Manhattan. 

Main hall inside Grand Central Station

The distinctive architecture and interior design of Grand Central Terminal's station house have earned it several landmark designations, including as a National Historic Landmark. Its Beaux-Arts design incorporates numerous works of art. Grand Central Terminal is one of the world's 10 most-visited tourist attractions. The terminal's Main Concourse is often used as a meeting place and has been featured in films and TV. Grand Central Terminal was built by and named for the New York Central Railroad. 

Concourse at Grand Central Station, NYC

Opened in 1913, GCT was built on the site of two similarly named stations, the first dated to 1871. It covers 48 acres with 44 platforms, more than any other railroad station worldwide. Its platforms, all below ground, serve 30 tracks on the upper level and 26 on the lower with 67 tracks total, including a rail yard and sidings; 43 tracks are in use for passenger service, and the remaining  are used to store trains.

In the mid 1970s, GCT was almost demolished as it had fallen into disrepair and its owners, the Penn Central Railroad planned to demolish it as was done to Penn Station years earlier. Former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis spearhead a campaign to save the terminal and thankfully succeeded. 

Meet me at the clock refers to the timepiece at Grand Central Station 

The iconic GCT clock, a four-faced, brass timepiece atop the Information Booth in the Main Concourse, is famously known as a meeting spot and the phrase, meet me at the clock. Though rumored to be made of solid opal and worth millions, the faces are actually opaline glass, a beautiful, semi-opaque, milky glass popularized in 19th-century France. 

Acorn on GCT clock

The clock was designed by Henry Edward Bedford, a sculptor and executive of the Self Winding Clock Company which built the clock; movements were made by the Seth Thomas Clock Company. The acorn on the top symbolizes the unofficial Vanderbilt family motto, "From a little acorn a mighty oak shall grow," celebrating their legacy and power as builders and financiers of the station. Oak/acorn motifs appear throughout the terminal to symbolize growth from small beginnings. 

The GCT clock is calibrated to the atomic clock at the U.S. Naval Observatory. However, the actual time displayed is set one minute fast for passengers intentionally. This deliberate lag is for safety to help passengers catch trains by creating a buffer for last-minute rushes, reducing accidents and missed connections.

 

Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World

The Statue of Liberty, a grand lady overlooking NYC, stands majestically on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, greeting ships and symbolizing freedom. Years ago offered a first glimpse of America for many immigrants

Formally named The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World, it was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the U.S. was conceived by Édouard de Laboulaye in 1865 and designed by sculptor Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi with engineering by Gustave Eiffel. It arrived in NY in 1885 and was dedicated in 1886 on Liberty Island by President Grover Cleveland. The statue was designated a National Monument in 1924. It has been managed by the National Park Service since 1933 as part of the National Parks of New York Harbor office.

Lady Liberty was not always green

Uniquely green in color now, the Statue of Liberty was originally a shiny, reddish-brown color, like a new U.S. penny. Most likely, Bartholdi chose copper because of the metal’s durability and malleability. Copper was not only less costly than materials like bronze and stone, but weighed less, making it easier to transport. After about 30 years, exposure to air, salt water and pollution have caused a natural chemical reaction (oxidation), forming the green patina, or copper carbonate, that’s visible today, a process that was complete by the 1920s. There’s a practical reason to leave the bluish-green patina (known as verdigris) — protects the metal underneath from corroding and degrading.

Artwork showing Ellis Island main facility

Immigrants to the U.S. saw this grand lady when arriving at Ellis Island, which was America's main federal immigration station from 1892 to 1954 and processed more than 12 million people who arrived in the U.S. seeking new lives. It's estimated that over 40 percent of America's population can trace ancestry through Ellis Island (that includes my maternal and paternal grandparents). Passengers who entered the U.S. through the Port of New York were legally and medically inspected at Ellis Island.

The Great Hall or Registry Room could be a loud and confusing place for immigrants

There also were other ports of entry in Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco and New Orleans. Steamship companies like the White Star, Red Star, Cunard, Holland America and Hamburg-America Lines played significant roles in the history of  immigration as a whole. For most immigrants, the Great Hall epitomized Ellis Island. It was here that immigrants underwent medical and legal examinations.

In the 1920s, Ellis Island's role shifted to a detention center due to the passing of restrictive immigration quota acts. In November 1954, it was officially closed by the U.S. government. After closing, the island was declared surplus federal property; the public desire for a memorial led to its preservation as a monument. 

These display items are original to Ellis Island

A sampling of trunks that immigrants traveled with on their sailings

In 1990, the Main Building on Ellis Island reopened after a massive reconstruction and is now a museum dedicated to the history of immigration. Ellis Island became a U.S. landmark when President Lyndon B. Johnson officially added it to the Statue of Liberty National Monument in May 1965, designating it part of the National Park System to preserve its significant history as America's main immigration station.

Currently, scaffolding surrounds the entire main building at Ellis Island

As of late 2025, scaffolding surrounds the entire building for structural repairs, facade restoration, and upgrading building systems. Ellis Reimagined is a $100 million interior overhaul of the museum, that will modernize exhibits and facilities. It's scheduled for completion in 2026. The museum remains open to visitors with some areas closed off.

There's a now iconic, NYC landmark that also was visited on this December NYC tour, the 9/11 Memorial Museum. It will be the topic of a final NY post in early 2026.