The site of the former World Trade Center towers, now called Ground Zero, has become one of the United States' most revered memorials. Unlike many other memorials, Ground Zero is not naturally aesthetic, and it has no statues, no music, no fountains, no architectural monuments and no grand memorial.
Perhaps Ground Zero is like Gettysburg before it became a national park, or the site where the USS Arizona sunk in Pearl Harbor before a memorial was built there. Yet each week thousands of people come from all over the world to visit this 16-acre site. Some are confused or disappointed when they arrive because Ground Zero is now a construction site where the World Trade Center Transportation Hub is being built (due to be completed in 2009).
On the tour of Ground Zero, guides explain what is currently at the site, where the buildings used to stand, and what the site might look like in the future. For further context, visitors may want to see some of the other remnants of the attacks on September 11, 2001. One is the Ground Zero Memorial in Union Square. Another is Fritz Koenig's 45,000-pound steel-and-bronze sculpture "Sphere," which had anchored the fountain at the foot of the towers and is now on exhibit in Battery Park.
Advertisement
Ground Zero Information
Address: Church St. New York, NY
Telephone: 212/209-3370
Advertisement
To learn more about family vacation destinations, see:
- Family Vacations: Learn about hundreds of family vacations in destinations all over North America.
- New York City Guide: Find out where to stay, what to do, and where to eat when you visit New York City.
- Philadelphia City Guide: Find out where to stay, what to do, and where to eat when you visit Philadelphia.
- New York State Guide: Learn about Mobil Travel Guide-rated hotels and restaurants in New York, as well as other recreational activities.
- Scenic Drives: For those who think that getting there is half the fun, we have compiled more than 100 of the most scenic drives throughout the country.
Advertisement
