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Visiting two tourist sites in New York City:  Ground Zero (the 9/11 memorial) and the Museum of modern arts

There are moments in one’s life that you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing,   e.g., the moment you learned about the world trade center disaster on 9/11 /2001 - I was driving to work and  listening to the radio in my car just past the Fresh Pond traffic circle on Concord Ave in Cambridge MA .

In American history, two war time incidents stood out: the 12/7/1941 attack on Pearl Harbor which  started the involvement of the US in WWII, and the 9/11/2001 attack on the twin towers of the world trade center in NYC that started the War on Terror. In both cases, thousands of people died and a national memorial site was created in Honolulu and in NYC respectively. During our recent visit to NYC we had a chance to tour the 9/11 memorial site in lower Manhattan at the original WTC site. The memorial construction is 90%complete and attracts thousands of visitors daily.  When we got there mid-morning on 9/23/2013 there was already a long line. However, because of efficient  planning and security check, the line moved along reasonably fast and we were admitted to the ground in less than 20 minutes. The most striking view of the memorial is the two huge multilevel reflecting pools and fountain which are in places where the twin WTC towers once stood.   Next to the pools are landscaped grounds, trees, places for strolling and sitting,  as well as a new 100+ floor glass office tower almost complete in construction and a 9/11  memorial museum schedule to open in the Spring of 2014. Brochures describing the memorial site in  16 languages including Chinese are offered free to all visitors. Admissions are also free but a donation of $5.00 is suggested to help defray expenses. Some photos taken at the site are shown below.

Another tourist site in NYC that is in my opinion well worth visiting is the MOMA (Museum Of Modern Arts).  We have come to MOMA before but have not done so since it's renovation a few years ago.  It is literally  a visual feast that is difficult to convey in words. Unfortunately, believing the old tradition of no photos in museums, we did not bring our camera along. However, with the proliferation of smart phones, it is no longer feasible for museum to enforce the "no picture" rule. Thus, we missed the opportunity of offering Science Net readers a small fraction of the  kaleidoscopic visual exhibits in movies, sounds, objects, and unusual views that a museum goers are presented with.  Most of the exhibits are by artists born in the 60s, 70s, and even in more recent years. Thus, they are truly "modern” arts taking full advantage of technological advances that were not present in earlier days of "modern art".  

Other must visits to NYC are Metropolitan Operas, Broadway musicals, and the Shanghai Joe’s restaurant for 蟹肉湯包.We did not miss those this time either. But I have written about them earlier http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=1565&do=blog&id=40257 http://blog.sciencenet.cn/home.php?mod=space&uid=1565&do=blog&id=13664

and thus won’t repeat them here.

Legend for photos:

1.       Crowded admission line

2.      New office tower 90% complete

3.      Landscaped grounds

4.      Brochure in 16 languages (pardon the focus in this picture)

5.      Reflecting pool where trade center tower oncestood

6.      Plaque commemorating those who gave their lives