9/11 Memorial Preview Site attracts visitors from around the world

Travelers across the United States and globe are coming to visit the 9/11 Memorial Preview Site, 20 Vesey St.

“It’s part of the New York story and the world story,” said Arturo Cuenca speaking on the events of Sept. 11.  Cuenca, from Spain's Basque Country, stopped by the site June 15 during his first visit to New York City.

The Preview Site was established to show the public the plans and progress of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum currently being built at the World Trade Center site.

Pam Henry, a kindergarten teacher at the time of the Sept. 11 events, came to visit the Preview Site for her first time.  A current resident of Austin, Texas, she lived in New York City years before 9/11. “Having lived here, I felt some connection . . . this could be an important part of the healing process," she said.For some visitors, the Preview Site is a saddening reminder.“I look at the pictures, and I’m finished,” said Klaus Lachner, on holiday from his home country Germany.  He described his emotions in one word, saying he felt “down.”Andrew Graham, a resident of Queensland, Australia, has been living in New York City with his wife for 18 months.  He came to the site because “it was bringing it home.”  He said the events of Sept. 11 “could happen anywhere . . . I felt sorry for Americans.”At the Preview Site, people can view real time images of the construction and participate in the creation of the 9/11 Memorial Museum by sharing their own Sept. 11 stories.

By Meghan Walsh, Communications Associate with the 9/11 Memorial