{"id":342953,"date":"2026-09-10T16:14:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/342953\/"},"modified":"2026-09-10T16:14:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:14:14","slug":"what-9-11-means-to-me-nyc-memorials-help-new-yorkers-remember-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/342953\/","title":{"rendered":"What 9\/11 means to me: NYC memorials help New Yorkers remember heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Twenty-five years ago, I almost lost my dad. On Sept. 11, 2001,<\/a> both of my parents were working as sergeants in the New York Police Department (NYPD) when they were alerted of a jet plane that had collided with one of the World Trade centers.<\/p>\n

My mom, who was pregnant with me at the time, stayed behind in the precinct while my dad hopped in his van to respond to the emergency. While en route to the scene, his van broke down; what played out like frustrating car troubles in the moment wound up narrowly saving his life and keeping him away from the second tower moments before it was also hit.<\/p>\n

Growing up, my parents told my two younger sisters and I stories about that infamous day<\/a>; my mom recounted the horrifying moments she was glued to the monitor, 7-months pregnant, praying that my dad would return home safely. He’d detail the heartbreak in the weeks after the attacks, searching for victims \u2014 friends and co-workers \u2014 among the rubble.<\/p>\n

Living on Long Island, just 45 miles outside of Manhattan, these stories aren\u2019t unique; in fact, nearly everyone I grew up with had families who were affected by the attacks.<\/p>\n

\"FirstFirst responders spent weeks looking for victims from 9\/11 \u2013 Photo courtesy of John Maracina<\/p>\n

But what makes 9\/11 worth remembering isn’t the shock of that tragedy, but the resilience of the people in its wake. Twenty-five years later, the people of New York are still finding ways to commemorate the heroic actions of first responders and civilians.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re hoping to pay tribute to the victims and first responders on this 25th anniversary of 9\/11 (and beyond), these NYC sights and 9\/11 dedications are among the ones my family treasures most.<\/p>\n

9\/11 memorials in NYC to visit and remember
\nO\u2019Hara\u2019s bar<\/p>\n

Set just a few blocks from the 9\/11 memorial, O\u2019Hara\u2019s is a bonafide firefighter and police officer bar \u2014 if I\u2019ve ever seen one. After I took my parents to the World Trade Center museum a few years ago, we stopped by O\u2019Hara\u2019s. The walls are covered with first responder badges, ranging from New York service members to travelers who were just passing by. The bar also sells commemorative 9\/11 T-shirts, which of course my parents bought for the whole family and we now wear every September 11th.<\/p>\n

9\/11 Memorial and Museum<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no better way to pay your respects than to visit the memorial and museum located at One World Trade Center. Outside the museum, you\u2019ll see all the names of the victims engraved along a memorial pool. At night, the museum will do a light tribute where they project two beams of light to represent the former buildings.<\/p>\n

New York Yankees vs. New York Mets Subway Series<\/p>\n

This year, the New York Yankees and New York Mets are playing each other in a three-game subway series. The game on September 11 will feature a special dedication to first responders and victims of 9\/11.<\/p>\n

Madison Square Garden Night of Remembrance concert<\/p>\n

On 9\/11, the NYPD Pipes and Drums will perform a dedication concert at the Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden. The show begins at 7 pm, with doors opening at 6 pm, and tickets can be bought on the MSG website.<\/p>\n

\"YouYou can support charities that preserve the memory of those lost on 9\/11 \u2013 Photo courtesy of John Maracina<\/p>\n

9\/11 charities to support
\nTunnels to Towers<\/p>\n

Tunnels to Towers<\/a> is a charity named in memory of New York City Fire Department (FDNY) firefighter Stephen Siller, who died on Sept. 11, 2001. He strapped on his gear and ran through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel toward the Twin Towers to help save others. Each year, the charity hosts a 5k which retraces Stephen\u2019s steps.<\/p>\n

Never Forget Fund<\/p>\n

If you plan on visiting the 9\/11 museum, don\u2019t leave without contributing to the Never Forget Fund<\/a>; this helps to keep the museum running, so every dollar is appreciated.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Twenty-five years ago, I almost lost my dad. On Sept. 11, 2001, both of my parents were working…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[5301,128571,12411,128572,9,24,94444,56,63,128574,65,64,128573,103,956],"class_list":["post-342953","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-9-11","tag-9-11-charities","tag-anniversary","tag-never-forget","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-first-responders","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-dedication","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-nyc-sights","tag-nypd","tag-travel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}