FINGER PRINT: A visitor lays her hand over an inscribed name on a plaque at the National September 11 Memorial yesterday, the first day the site was open to the public. (UPI)
The 9/11 memorial made its long-awaited public debut yesterday, drawing rave reviews from somber visitors captivated by the endless names and the void of the missing towers.
Using words like “breathtaking” and “gorgeous,” some mourners and guests could barely contain themselves, gushing about the memorial’s granite pools and the rows of regal trees.
Others were speechless, silenced by the impact of the nearly 3,000 names in bronze.
“I had to remind myself to breathe,” said Carmen Munoz, 55, of Euless, Texas.
Munoz had been visiting New York on a business trip 10 years ago and was walking through the World Trade Center plaza about 30 minutes before the first plane slammed into the north tower.
“I just kept remembering taking that shortcut through the towers,” Munoz said yesterday.
“I was flushed with memories. The memorial is beautiful. I am at ease. I am thrilled that they didn’t build something on that space, just a calming reflecting pool. It’s sacred ground. They honored it.”
Peter Altieri, 73, of Yonkers, walked past the swamp white oak trees and the 30-foot waterfalls to honor his nephew, Alex Ciccone. 38, a vice president at Marsh & McLennan.
“It was very beautiful,” Altieri said. “It makes you feel better about everything. It made me feel at peace. We’ve been waiting a long time for this. But it was well worth the wait.”
Not since the twin skyscrapers towered over Manhattan in the days before terror and strife has the general public been able to saunter along the space known for too many years as Ground Zero.
The opening of the much-anticipated National September 11 Memorial was a healing balm for families burdened by grief and pain, and a city that had lost some of its soul.
“We’ve been seeing a steady stream of people,” said memorial spokeswoman Lynn Rasic. “We made this promise to open for the 10th anniversary. We’re all really proud that happened.”
Some of the visitors were family members who had been there the day before, when President Obama and former President George W. Bush shook hands and gave hugs.
Though no one is rushed, there just wasn’t enough time for visitors to soak it all in. There will never be enough time.
Ticket holders ran their fingers over the names of the people killed in the terrorist attacks in New York City, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania, as well as the six who died in the bombing of the trade center in 1993 — 2,983 in all, each etched in brass in stark capital letters.
Electronic directories with “Find a Name” buttons helped mourners locate their loved ones.
“A boy who grew up in our town was killed here on Sept. 11,” said Meghan Robb, 46, a secretary from Kent, Conn.
“Seeing his name got to me. It makes me think of my own children. The woman’s name that included ‘unborn child’ broke my heart.”
Many visitors flocked to the Survivor Tree, a pear tree that has now endured a terrorist attack, harsh winters and the whipping winds of Hurricane Irene.
Not far from the memorial, Mayor Bloomberg joined community leaders who planted a 15-foot-tall pin oak near the Castle Clinton monument in Battery Park, another symbol of rebirth and renewal in lower Manhattan.
“Trees are a reminder that life renews itself,” Bloomberg said. “For every death, there is a birth. Even in tragedy, there can be hope. So it’s fitting we’ve planted this oak tree in the Battery — not just to honor our city’s darkest day, but to embody our greatest hopes for the future.”