9/11 Memorial advance tickets on sale today


After many years of construction, the 9/11 Memorial at the site of the World Trade Center in New York City will open on September 12. Advance tickets go on sale today.

It’s officially called the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, and entrance is free but reservations must be made over the Internet in advance from the memorial’s website. A phone line will also open to handle group requests of ten or more people. Entry is carefully timed and all visitors must go through security. Once inside, however, visitors can stay as long as they like.

The museum’s opening ceremony will take place on September 11, but entry is reserved for officials and relatives of the victims.

Advance tickets are necessary because the memorial can only hold about 1,500 people at a time.

[9/11 Memorial photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons]

“Ground Zero Mosque” reality check

We’ve all heard about it–the so-called “Ground Zero Mosque”. Journalists, bloggers, and pretty much everyone else have been screaming at each other about whether it should open or not. All but absent from the debate, however, are hard facts.

Now the Village Voice has published an angry article with facts about the Ground Zero Mosque. First off, it’s a community center as well as a mosque. Secondly, it’s not at Ground Zero. The article has a map showing the proposed community center is two-and-a-half blocks away from Ground Zero at 51 Park Place. Even more revealing are photos of what’s also in the vicinity of Ground Zero–a Burger King, a bookie, and a titty bar. Nobody has called these places disrespectful to the memory of the victims.

Village Voice writer Foster Kamer goes off on people from outside New York City making judgments about the Park51 project, pointing out that the community center will have a 9/11 memorial and saying that people who want to stifle freedom of religion are almost as bad as terrorists. He also reminds us that dozens of Muslims were killed in the 9/11 attacks, including an NYPD cadet. Kamer then rips into the commercialization of Ground Zero. Thousands of tourists flock to it every year, feeding a small industry of guided tours and souvenir stands selling Chinese-made memorabilia. There’s even a hotel that’s using its proximity to Ground Zero as a selling point.

One thing Kamer doesn’t include, however, is a link to the Park51 project, so here it is. The site details what the developers are planning to do with the property.

Is an Islamic community center an appropriate thing to have two-and-a-half blocks away from Ground Zero? Is a titty bar? Is Ground Zero tourism respectful or simply ghoulish? Tell us what you think in the comments section.


Photo of 45-51 Park Place courtesy Gryffindor via Wikimedia Commons.

Help build the Flight 93 national memorial

On 9/11, 40 people died on board United Flight 93 when the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. We don’t know exactly what happened during the plane’s final minutes, but we do know that a number of the passengers worked together to prevent hijackers from taking over the aircraft and crashing it into another building, saving who knows how many lives at the expense of their own.

Now, that National Parks Foundation is working hard to build a memorial for the heroic passengers that were on Flight 93, but like all projects in this struggling economy, it has been difficult to raise the necessary funds. Between now and July 4th, the organization has set a goal of raising $93,000 for the memorial, and thanks to the seemingly ubiquitous Facebook, and a little help from a corporate sponsor, we can all help the cause as well.

Energy company Range Resources has generously pledged to match, dollar-for-dollar, all online donations to the memorial between now and July 4th. They’ve also committed themselves to donating $1 for every new fan of the project on Facebook, up to $46,500. Donations can be made directly to the cause online by clicking here, and remember each of the donations is tax deductible. If you have a Facebook page, you can become a “fan” of the memorial by going here, and pushing the “Like” button located at the top of the page.

It really is that simple to contribute to this very worthy cause.

[Photo Credit: National Park Foundation]

Ground Zero hotel’s ‘selling point’ creates controversy

A new Manhattan hotel is marketing its proximity to Ground Zero as a selling point, and creating a stir among those trying to preserve the memory of friends and family lost during the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

The World Center Hotel, opened by Club Quarters Inc., is currently accepting reservations for its rooms that boast “floor-to-ceiling ‘window walls'” offering “unfettered views of the rising Freedom Tower and National 9/11 Memorial & Museum,” according to the hotel’s Web site.

In response to the controversy, the hotel issued this statement to Fox News:

“We at the World Center Hotel reference our location on our website and in our marketing because our location is an important part of our hotel’s identity. The World Center Hotel, being across from both the World Financial Center and the rising World Trade Center, was designed primarily for business travelers, but leisure travelers also appreciate our downtown location.

“Some guests may feel emotional about the proximity to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, however, and choose not to stay at our hotel. Others are encouraged that, after so many years, the site is finally being transformed into a fitting Memorial, and they want to see the progress being made there.

“Either reaction is entirely legitimate. We feel strongly that business and economic growth is good for our city, and that the rebirth of downtown New York City does not in any way diminish the remembrance of the tragic events of nearly nine years ago. We are very respectful of the emotions involved, and we share them. But, we are also proud to be a part of the long-term revitalization of Lower Manhattan.”

While Manhattanites continue to protest the PR campaign put forth by the hotel, the 169-room hotel continues to market to the 7.1 million people that are estimated to visit the 9/11 Memorial Preview site when it officially opens.

Photo of the Day (9.12.09)


Some events remain just as powerful and raw years later, and that is what 9/11 is to most Americans. Although I didn’t lose anyone that day, many of my friends did, and what remains for them even eight years later is a deep sense of emptiness that will always be there. I passed through Ground Zero yesterday and paid my respect to the thousands of lives lost that day. Wherever we are in the world, I hope we all take a moment if we haven’t already to remember 9/11 and remind ourselves just how precious life is.

If you have some great travel shots you’d like to share, be sure to upload them to the Gadling pool on Flickr. We might just pick one as our Photo of the Day!