Sarah and I took the #6 subway from Grand Central Station to Chambers Street. We got out to the street right next to a small park. Took in the sounds and smells of the city. Ethnic food. Street music. It was like being home again.
Sarah and I were roommates at a college in New York City, and spent a lot of time walking around the streets just soaking up the vibe. So, in a way, it WAS like being home.
But we were here to see the 9/11 museum. We’d both seen the memorial at ground level. The waterfall built on top of the original footprints of the two towers. A wall with every name etched in it.
(c) Kathleen Thompson. 9/11 Memorial. Loved ones leave yellow roses.
We had steeled ourselves for what we were going to see in the museum. We knew it would be hard. But we didn’t expect to see this:
(c) Kathleen Thompson. The Oculus Transportation Hub at World Trade Center.
The last time I’d visited, this wasn’t there. It was just a hole in the ground with a fence around it. Like how much of Ground Zero looked for so long.
We didn’t know what it was, so we went inside. This is what we saw inside.
(c) Kathleen Thompson
It turned out to be the new Lower Manhattan Transportation Hub. A replacement for the one that was inside the World Trade Center when it collapsed. That was completely destroyed. That transportation hub was the primary center for the PATH trains – commuter trains that bring people from New Jersey into the city. And on 9/11, several people who owned small boats volunteered to ferry them home because it was the only way to get across the river.
It took 2 years, but they did eventually rebuild the tunnels so the trains could run again. In 2003, a temporary World Trade Center Station opened. But when people got off at that stop, there was only a tiny area underground. When they came above ground, it was in the middle of a dirt hole that had been part of Ground Zero. It’s been like that until this new center opened in 2016.
The building is gorgeous. Called the Oculus, it was designed by architect Santiago Calatrava. It has white ribs that interlock above the ground. At the intersection point are windows. And the sides between the ribs have windows too. During the day, the building is filled with light. The building is so distinctive, that it’s become an icon. So iconic, in fact, that a chopper built to commemorate the 10th anniversary used the Oculus’ design for its gas tank.
(c) Kathleen Thompson. 9/11 Museum
As I gazed on this building, both inside and out, and watched the number of people bustling in and out, I realized that this Oculus is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. After all that happened here. After seeing the damage done to the tunnels. We built a structure that represents light, hope, and joy. That embraces our freedom. That everyday people trust enough to walk through, take the subway, and even shop and eat in. Living their lives.
I felt such a strong sense of gratitude. For those who had risked so much to save as many people as they could. For those who didn’t let terror win on that day. And aren’t letting fear rule them now. Who embrace life to the point where they built a testament to the human spirit right next to Ground Zero.
We will never forget that day. We will never forget the scars, the scorch, the sound of the metal as it crashed to the ground with countless people inside. And yet, eighteen years later, the land is healed. The new tower is open. The trees have grown in the memorial park, so it looks like it’s been there for a long time. The Oculus and museum are there. There’s only one more hole that hasn’t been filled, and that’s under construction.
We have an amazing capacity to look for the good, the beautiful. To hope, dream, and love. The Oculus reminds us that the worst can be redeemed. That the light overtakes the darkness. Let’s renew our commitment to be part of that light.
What have you seen that showed you the resilience of the human spirit? Share in the comments.
