New Audio Collection Unveiled at WTC Memorial Museum Site

The World Trade Center Memorial Museum preview site (20 Vesey Street) is unveiling an audio collection today, consisting of almost 600 recordings from families and friends of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks. Stories from first responders are also included.
Visitors can both hear those stories and also record their own recollections and contributions in a separate booth. Some of these memories will become part of the Museum’s permanent collection. Visitors can also hear stories from people who actually witnessed the attacks. The actual museum is set to open on September 11, 2012. It will offer artifacts ranging from parts of the original towers to tributes left for the victims.
The memorial is slated to open earlier.
The recordings are meant to serve as a resource for those who want more information about the attacks, as well as a way to honor the victims. The site is free and open to the public; it’s located across from the site of the permanent memorial. Visitors can go to national911memorial.org for more information. The web site gives up-to-date information about the progress of the memorial as well as the history and impact of the attacks.
In other news about the Memorial, two reflecting pools for the September 11 National Memorial at the World Trade Center site have been totally framed in steel, meaning that another phase has been completed. When the Memorial is complete, it will contain 8,100 tons of steel. The pools, which sit in the footprints of the original towers, will pump 52,00 gallons of recycled water every minute.
The Memorial Plaza will also contain 400 oak trees surrounding the pools.

September 11 Memorial Damaged in Deliberate Arson

A temporary New York City chapel containing unidentified remains of September 11 victims was set ablaze last weekend in what police are calling a definite case of arson. Although the remains themselves were untouched, most of the mementos and candles left by loved ones were either damaged or stolen. The tented building (which was also largely undamaged) serves as a temporary resting place for the remains until they are moved to a permanent location at Ground Zero; it stands behind the chief medical examiner’s office on East 30th Street in what is known as Memorial Park.
Twenty-six-year-old Brian Schroeder, who’s originally from Texas, was arrested in connection with the crime. The Harvard Law School graduate supposedly set the memorial on fire as part of a drunken prank. Firefighters responded to a call before 9 am last Saturday (Halloween) and found remains of the fire still smoking.
How Schroeder was able to simply walk into what was supposed to be a high-security area is uncertain, to say the least. He turned himself into the police on Sunday.
Not surprisingly, the posh New York law firm that had made him a job offer—and in which he worked last summer--has since rescinded it.

Cruise The Waterfront With New York Water Taxi Hop-On, Hop-Off Summer Service

Looking for a fun new way to tour New York City? How about by boat? The New York Water Taxi offers a hop-on/hop-off weekend boat service around New York Harbor, making stops at 10 of the city’s best neighborhoods and attractions. This service will run from May 2 to October 11, 2009, every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. A day pass ($20 for adults, $15 for kids) allows for unlimited travel.
The Water Taxi’s first stop is West 44th Street at Pier 84. Check out the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on Pier 86 at West 46th Street to tour the large aircraft carrier USS Intrepid. The second stop is West 27th Street at Pier 66 in Chelsea. Cool off from the summer heat by ice-skating at Chelsea Piers. Next up is Greenwich Village at Pier 45. Stroll the West Village and Hudson River Park. Traveling further south, the Water Taxi docks at the World Financial Center for a great opportunity to see the World Trade Center Memorial.
The fifth stop is Battery Park, the very Southern tip of Manhattan, with views of the Statue of Liberty. Round the island to South Street Seaport for shopping and a view of the Brooklyn Bridge, followed by Fulton Ferry Landing, the oldest ferry landing in New York City. The Water Taxi then stops at Hunters Point for access to Water Taxi Beach and Long Island City. The tour ends at East 34th Street, with sites like the United Nations Building and the Empire State Building in the vicinity.