How to visit 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center
With September 11 approaching, there’s increased interest in visiting the 9/11 Memorial at the World Trade Center. It is FREE to visit — but — you must register for FREE passes for a specific date and time, since you a reservation is required to enter. Click here to make your reservation on the World Trade Center 9/11 Memorial website, where you also can also find information about where the name of a particular victim or group is etched into the stone surrounding the 30-foot-tall waterfalls that mark the footprint of the original Twin Towers. Be forewarned that the first available ticket could be weeks ahead of today. Remember — the passes are FREE — anybody who wants to sell you a pass is doing so illegally.
A limited number of passes for same-day visits are available daily at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey St. (at Church Street) beginning at 9:00 a.m., the NYC & Co. kiosk at City Hall and the NY Water Taxi booth at the South Street Seaport. These are limited to four passes per person on a first-come, first-served basis.
Be prepared for extensive security screening similar to airport security screening to enter the 9/11 Memorial, so get there at least 15 minutes ahead of the time printed on your reservation confirmation form. Although you will be admitted at the time printed on your pass, you can stay as long as you like.
The length of time each pass holder can spend on the memorial plaza will not be limited. The 9/11 Museum is still under construction, and when it opens it will have an admission fee.
World Trade Center before 9/11
The 9/11 Memorial Preview Site at 20 Vesey Street, across the street from the World Trade Center, is open for those unable to get in to the site, or for those who want a memento after visiting, where you can buy official NYPD and FDNY memorabilia, books and other items that help support the official 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Museum. Even if you can’t get a pass that suits your schedule, the preview site is compelling and interesting.
Please purchase your World Trade Center and 9/11 souvenirs at the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, since proceeds support the 9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Museum, instead of purchasing souvenirs from a street vendor, especially unlicensed vendors who may be selling counterfeit merchandise with the NYPD, NYFD or 9/11 logos.
Personal note — NYCOTC editor Evelyn Kanter is one native and lifetime New Yorker who will never ever call the World Trade Center site Ground Zero.
It was the World Trade Center before that awful day September 11, 2001, and it is the World Trade Center today, still.
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.