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No one seemed to know what was going on as barricades blocked off access to the 9/11 memorial midday on Wednesday. More often than not, I was the one informing bystanders on why crowds had gathered on the corner of Church and Liberty in the Financial District, hoping to catch a glimpse of King Charles and Mayor Mamdani. At several points in the two hours before the King arrived, it felt like there were more journalists and cops than bystanders.
Still, many tourists hoping to visit the 9/11 Memorial—which features two large memorial pools in the footprint of where the Twin Towers stood—were disappointed that the King’s visit disrupted their plans. The security perimeter around the area was so large, it was hard to even see anything happening from where the barricades were set up.
Emily Burack
The memorial was completely blocked off to the public.
Steve, in from St. Louis, came downtown to visit the memorial, but did not mind that he’d have to return later. “I’m not put out about it,” he said, but he did not stick around to try to see the King. Brian and Katie, visiting from Portland, were a bit annoyed about the disruption from their day as they had walked far to get there, and were only in town for a short amount of time. As was Sandy from California, who joked, “I flew as far as he did!” referring to the King.
From even farther afield, Fletch was visiting New York for just two days from Melbourne, Australia. “That’s really annoyed me,” he said, referring to the fact that he was unable to go see the museum when he had planned. He was most interested, however, in all the cops around. “New York security presence is insane,” he added. Another tourist, Jakob, from Austria, was more interested in the military presence than the officials they were protecting.
Theo, born in South Africa who now lives in Toronto, was in New York City with his wife and daughter. “Today was our day to come and see the memorial,” he told T&C. “It’s something I’ve always wanted to see and visit.” His daughter added, “It seems like the museum is open, but we can’t seem to make our way into it.” The King’s visit didn’t really impact them, Theo shared, but said it’s “interesting.” “We have a certain level of respect—I wouldn’t say we’re royal watchers, or followers, but there’s a level of reverence, to a certain degree,” he said. The Canadian trio did, however, decide to stay to see if they could see the King.
Emily Burack
A view of the crowd gathering to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.
A few New Yorkers left their offices on their lunch break to check out the hubbub. Gianna, who works just down the street, heard from her office early this morning that there would be potential delays on the commute. “I’m not invested [in the royals],” she said, “but they’re notable people. It’s cool to say you saw them.” Of the crowd that had gathered, she noted, “It’s pretty remarkable, people actually care to see them.”
For officemates Lauren, Maria, and Carla, they got no heads up on the King’s visit or the impact on the neighborhood. “His overall visit has been excellent,” Lauren said, referring to Charles’s past two days in Washington, D.C. “Our news is so bad, it’s so miserable—[the King] coming, he’s a positive, calming force on the world stage, only something he can do.” She added that she’s a fan of King Charles, particularly for his longtime dedication to the environment. “We need some positive news,” she reiterated.
Jiyun, who is originally from South Korea but now lives in Hoboken, New Jersey, had just gotten off the PATH Train when she saw a crowd outside and stopped to find out what was happening. Once she realized who was coming, she and her friend changed their Chinatown lunchtime plans to try to see King Charles. “I usually [just] see them on YouTube!” she said of the royals with a laugh. “I’m not really big fan of them, but it’s fun to watch them.” She added, “I wanna see the Mayor, too, because that’s interesting.”
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Mayor Mamdani was a bigger draw than King Charles for many of the younger bystanders.
Jiyun wasn’t the only one hoping to catch a glimpse of Mamdani; students from the High School of Economics and Finance (a public high school in located at 100 Trinity Place, just steps from Ground Zero) gathered by the barricades on their lunch break, but more were interested in seeing the Mayor than King Charles. They still were curious, though, about the British monarch. “I just think it’s pretty cool,” said Arlin, a senior, of King Charles’s visit to New York City. “This is New York—I live here, I was born here. Seeing people come from all over the place that you only see on TV is kinda surreal.” Arlin added that the royals are a “very interesting, unique family.”
José, a student who attends the nearby Manhattan Borough College, went to get lunch with no idea what was happening, but decided to wait to see if he could see the Mayor. “He’s the best,” he said. “He’s the GOAT. He’s the best Mayor.”
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The King and Queen this morning.
Of all the people I spoke too, only one—Karen, a 66-year-old woman from Staten Island—came on purpose. “I came down to see the King, since I was a little girl I’ve followed the royal family. I left work a little early to come here, just took the Staten Island ferry,” she said. “I just ran from the ferry!”
When Queen Elizabeth died, Karen and her mom, who is now about to turn 96, sat in their living room and “bawled our eyes out.” This afternoon marks her first time seeing the royals in person. “I’ve been to London several times, I’ve never come across seeing them. I’m excited. My husband thinks I’m out of my mind!”
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Officers stand guard outside the 9/11 Memorial.
But despite the student onlookers and the workers on lunch, the bulk of those gathered near the barricades were undoubtedly tourists. Sara and her goddaughter Olivia, visiting New York from Conway, North Wales, had tickets to the 9/11 Museum at 1 p.m. but upon getting down to the area, learned the wouldn’t be able to use them. “We’ll find something else to do! We have been told we can go on a different day,” Sara said. The duo was surprised the King was in town; they thought he was only going to Washington, D.C. Back home in Wales, she said, “No one really pays much attention to them,” referring to the royal family. Olivia added, jokingly, “Not so long ago, he [the King] came 20 mins from where we live. So we do feel like he’s following us.”
As we spoke, we were interrupted by a man yelling unintelligibly about Mayor Mamdani. Sara, though, was unbothered. “Isn’t amazing you can live in a country where you can do this?”
Emily Burack (she/her) is the Deputy Digital Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, celebrities, the royals, and a wide range of other topics. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma, a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms.