As the 19th anniversary of 9/11 came to a close, the Tribute in Light illuminated the sky over New York City.
The beauty of the lights could be seen from across the Hudson River. People dining outdoors were looking at them Friday night, remembering the nearly 3,000 souls killed in the terrorist attacks. “It’s so hard,” Manhattan resident Laura P. said.
Nineteen years later, the day is still tough for Laura, who broke down at the World Trade Center memorial, crying out the daily pain of loss that has not left her side since the attacks killed her fiance.
“He was the most beautiful love story in my life and I’ll remember him for the rest of my life,” she said. Queens resident John Zapata understands that kind of heartache.
He fought back emotions while standing outside the ticket counter, waiting to honor his firefighter cousin inside the museum, a place he worried would be closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.