THE MALL AT WORLD TRADE CENTER - PRE & POST 9/11 - THE UNTOLD HISTORY 

I was at the mall on 9/10 around 430pm, I had lunch there. I haven't forgotten how it looked and felt that day. Not knowing in a few short hours it would be taken from us.

Each year on 9/11, the skylight retracts at 8:46am and stays open for 102 minutes. The lights in the oculus are dimmed, and a strip of light shines down the center of the room. You feel like you’re standing in the shadow of the original towers in those moments.

First off, thank you for this. My wife, GF at the time worked as the 1st manager at Warner Bros store. She was late that morning opening the store because we spoke on the phone till 1am. I never got a chance to see the store. Today I did. Thank you. I'm going to share this with her.

Thanks for making this video. I came up the escalators from the PATH train into that mall on 9/11 shortly after the first plane strike. I remember seeing smoke pouring out of the doors from the elevator lobby, and the security guard at the top of the escalator instructing us to get out of the facility. Everyone running, for the first time of many that day… God bless the people of NY who lost loved ones that day. We will never forget.

I'm a Brit who has never had the opportunity to visit the States, but I can honesty say that no other single event in history has been burned into my memory quite like that day. I can remember crowding around the old computer in our workshop with the other engineers to read what what happening on the news, remember calling my dad who's immediate reply I will not repeat but was strangely prophetic of the things to come, remember the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach when watching the news that night and for many nights afterwards. Some years later I took my family to the Imperial War Museum in London, I did not know at the time but they have a large twisted section of one of the towers on display. There were no signs leading to it, because it needed none - you simply round a corner and it's 7m bulk there in front of you. The emotion upon seeing it is like a gut punch even for a bloke who was three and a half thousand miles away on that horrible day. So many people in the UK (myself included) have shed tears for those that were lost and for those that have lost. Please remember that you will always have friends amongst us.

At the time, I had just turned 20 four days prior. I worked in a customer service call center for United Airlines just outside Detroit, and had gotten off the midnight shift. I worked 5p-2a that day. I was asleep at the time, of course, and a family member woke me up after the second plane hit. It took me several minutes to comprehend the magnitude of what had happened, and watching the impacts over and over again, one thing stuck out, the distinctive grey and blue paint scheme of United planes of that era. I ran upstairs to tell my parents “that was one of our planes”, long before it was reported by any source at the time. This was about the time the reports came in about the crash at the pentagon, and the possibility of a fourth plane going down somewhere in Pennsylvania. As the news slowly filtered in, and after the first, then second towers fell; there wasn’t much I could feel at the time outside of just the pure shock of what was happening. How could this happen? This couldn’t be an accident. What does this mean? What comes next? Shortly after I called back to work and asked what was happening there. The company had authorized unlimited overtime for any employee who wanted to come in and help. Nobody knew what to expect. The global grounding of flights had just begun, and our planes were being put down anywhere and everywhere. It didn’t matter if it was an airport serviced by our airline… or any commercial airline for that matter. If it had a runway that could accomodate that plane; it landed there, no questions. As I got into work, there were notes on our internal messaging system to direct any media inquiries to the corporate office, and that the company was deploying crisis counsellors to the airports and offices for employees. I sat down at a workstation, plugged in my phone headset, and waited for the flood of calls to come in. They never came. In a typical 8 hour shift, I’d usually field about 250 calls from customers. I worked a full 8 hours and only fielded four calls. At the start of the shift, my coworkers were able to (internally) identify the flights before they were confirmed in the media. Once the flights were confirmed, they were locked out of our systems. Before then, we were able to see the flight manifests, and someone had printed out the two United flights that went down in an effort to see if anyone we knew was onboard. I worked United’s 1K flyer desk at the time, so there were several customers we would know by name, since it’s a smaller pool of customers, and they were always calling in for one reason or another to change flights or whatnot. Some of my coworkers knew some of the crew, and there were more than a couple passengers some of us knew. It was the worst work shift of my life. The next day, as the shock was wearing off and people were stranded anywhere and everywhere across the globe, the word from the company was just to get people where they needed to go, whatever means necessary. At this time, almost all major carriers worldwide shared flight load data across their different proprietary computer systems. Some airlines like Southwest didn’t share this data, and under normal circumstances we were unable to “protect” a passenger on southwest if there was a flight problem. Now, no holds were barred. We had customers in the tundras of Canada, some in Greenland, others in tiny airstrips in the middle of Kansas. Places we didn’t have planes normally. Places no commercial carrier had planes normally. But we had to get these people where they needed to go. It didn’t matter where they were headed originally, but for a solid week or two, we rerouted people where they wanted to be, however we could make it happen. Originally going to Los Angeles and wanted to visit mom in Duluth? Done. Call southwest to see if they had a seat for a passenger? Done. Only seat I can find is First Class on American Airlines? Done. Rental car? Done. Amtrak? Done and done. It didn’t matter, we just had to do what needed to be done. Our office also had a walk-up ticket office, which was closed. One distraught customer found his way to out break area outside and I lent him my cell phone, and I dialled into our 1K desk so he could talk to an agent and rearrange his travel plans. Over the next few weeks, we had a scrapbook set up on the call floor with letters and cards we had received from other airlines, customers, and strangers offering their support and condolences for the teammates we lost that morning. It still moves me to tears today thinking about it. One story I tell is that a good coworker of mine knew immediately about a customer on Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, PA. As soon as the flight number was known, she said “I put a guy on that flight last night. He was supposed to leave on an earlier flight, but wanted to stay home to spend time with the family.” Later, when the list of names was released, she looked and said “That’s him!” It was Todd Beamer. He was a 1K flyer on United, and an overall nice guy. I’d spoken to him a couple of times, pretty routine stuff. He’s now famous for being the man on flight 93 who called the Airfone operator (those satellite phones they used to have in seat backs in the 90s). He was part of the group of passengers who attempted to retake the cockpit and said the famous words “Let’s Roll”. It’s generally believed that Flight 93 was headed to Washington DC, and likely the White House. The passengers sacrificed themselves and were successful in stopping that from happening. 20 years later, and an entire generation who never knew the event, or what things were like before then, I guess my only analogy I can think of is that this is what the generation of Americans who lived through Pearl Harbor felt like, and then seeing the slow march as the event gets forgotten and marginalized. There is a certain pain in that, and emotions that get stirred up. Just as my grandparents vowed to make sure we never forgot the lives lost in that attack, we must work to make sure we never forget that Tuesday morning, when so much changed in the blink of an eye.

I was a young mother in Australia, when the events of 9/11 took place. I spent days being glued to the TV, crying, shaking my head, and thinking that the end of the world was surely coming. I haven't felt safe, since. I will never, ever forget. And the courage of those first responders, the flight attendants and just the everyday New Yorkers who helped each other out that day, has stayed with me. My heart breaks for all those people who lost their lives, those who had to grow up without parents or siblings and those whose health has been badly affected. And for what reason, exactly? That is what bothers me the most. Take care, all of you.

Thank you so much. My cousin (by marriage) had to run for his life when the towers fell; and his dad was killed in one of the towers. My cousin is now 50 and is dealing with many health issues from everything he had to deal with that day. Nearly everyone knows about and remembers those who died (rightfully), but often forget about the tens of thousands of people who survived the initial attack but still suffer from horrific health effects. So thank you, for bringing awareness to them and the causes that support them.

Thank you for this. I've been searching for photos of the pre-9/11 mall since it happened. I can't shake my obsession with the day or the property because both have made a major impact on my life. I spent many hours at the concourse shopping center as a young working adult. Those buildings were...powerful and a symbol that I was no longer a kid (I worked directly across the river at Exchange Place). We would hop on the PATH train at Exchange Place and grab lunch. There are clothes that I purchased at the mall's shops that I still can't throw away. I know remembrances will become fewer in the years ahead since the 20th anniversary, but there are a few of us out there who still feel the loss. RIP to Susie and Jim who perished that day. I appreciate this video so much. You jogged memories I didn't realize I had.

My nephew moved to NYC six years ago and last summer, my sister went to visit him. One of the places they visited was the 9/11 Memorial Pools and museum. She told me how she poignantly learned that the memorial is not only the most visited place in NYC, but also, it is the quietest place in NYC. ❤️

I'm from England and I visited New York back in 2015, I started every day off by spending time at the memorial pools to pay my respect. With all the hustle and bustle in New York, very much like London, there is an eerie silence over the memorial pools. I will never forget that tragic day. Lest We Forget 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸

I was in elementary school and my mom was an a flight attendant. I was crying my eyes out scared. I am thankful God protected my mom and she was on a different american airlines plane.

My mom was one of the ones who got out through that mall on 9/11. Thanks, mall.

Thank you for bringing the mall to peoples attention as a conduit to safety from the horror unfolding above the mall I was there in the mall I came off the E train, and was swept up into a sea of humanity trying to exit There was no stampeding, but the sheer volume of people swept me up the stairs, and I found myself in front of Century 21, loo,ing at a burning World Trade Center Evrrytime I tell my story, I always emphasize thr,e safety of the mall, and all the people that hurried me along, and upmthe stairs I will never forget that day, and all the people that helped each other both physically, and by offering words of comfort and encouragement to each othrt

Probably the most peaceful reflection of a truly horrific day in the history of humanity. Thank you for your remembrance and work of art.

Thank you for the video. I have always wondered about the mall after 9/11. My commute to Wall Street was on the PATH train to the WTC station. I bought my favorite raincoat at the Banana Republic at this mall, and remembered taking lunch breaks there and quick shopping trips with colleagues. There was a violinist busking for change in the mornings at the building exit toward Zuccotti Park. I wondered about his fate too, I hope he is spared. I was lucky to have switched to a job in Midtown, a few months before September 11, but my husband was still working at the World Financial Center. He and his colleagues witnessed the planes hitting the towers and later ran for their lives towards the river, covered in white dust. Firemen put them on a ferry to Jersey City, where we lived. For the next couple of weeks, we helplessly watched the smoke rising up from Ground Zero from our apartment window. The buildings were part of our once beautiful riverfront view. Such a traumatizing experience for both of us.

I still cry every time I see the footprints where the waterfalls are with all of the fallen are named…I didn’t know anyone who died that day, but I watched on TV that long & fateful day😭😭😭😭😭 We will Never Forget😭

I live in Manhattan and I remember that day clearly. It was my first day of Middle School. Class had just started a couple minutes ago. The librarian came in and told the teacher there was an accident downtown. I in my young innocent mind thought a MTA bus had crashed and flipped over. The librarian came back and said “a plane crashed into the World Trade Center” I didn’t at the point know it was the other name to the Twin Towers. She then said parents are going to be picking kids up. My mother picked me and my brothers up. We all went to same school. We started walking to my grandparents apartment. In the air I saw fighter jets zoom up. Finally got to grandparents. Started watching the new. Then I saw LIVE the second plane crash into the other Tower. “It’s just a playback of the first plane” said my mom. She quickly learned it wasn’t. Why can’t the helicopters save them? My aunt came followed my uncle. Trains had stop running. They walked far to get there. I still remember the people falling… the sound of people hitting the floor. Kept watching the news seeing everything unfold. I’ve been to the site. Went to community college near there and actually saw freedom tower being finished. I do remember I had class on 9-11-2010(?) and looked up. I was on the corner looking at the Freedom Tower. I looked at the time. It was around 8am it was chilly as I thought about the people walking to class and being interrupted by the sound of the first plane hitting. Gave me goosebumps. Well thank you to anyone that read my story. Great video btw.

I was about 24 years old that day, working my first real job as an adult in law enforcement. I feel like I lost my adolescent innocence that day... and I suppose much of the country probably felt the same. I have been to NYC twice. The first time was post 9/11 but they were still doing site cleanup and preparation for the new development. The second time was about a month ago. I made my way down to the memorial, toured the museum, explored the oculus, and went to the top of Freedom Tower. The museum is very somber and emotional. It was an almost surreal experience being there, standing on that ground. Anyone who remembers exactly where they were that day, and what they felt, I strongly encourage a visit to the site. It gave me a bit of closure that I feel I have been 20 years searching for.

Right after I graduated college in the 80s I had a job interview in the towers. From the moment I stepped into the building I felt uncomfortable being there. I went to the interview and said I was sorry for wasting their time, that I'd never be able to work in those buildings. I do remember visiting the observation deck and the mall afterwards but I never visited the twin towers ever again.

Thank you for featuring the mall because I don't think anyone else has ever done so. Most people who haven't been to the WTC have no idea what it was like on the bottom floors. The WTC was my second favorite building in NY and I was there nearly every day since that was my station. I used to have a recurring dream of myself all alone on the scores of escalators wondering where everyone was. This occurred for years after the bombings.

This was one of the most amazing and respectful tributes I’ve seen to the people lost on 9/11! The cadence and tone of your narration was very reflective and respectful to the victims. The brief history you covered gave the site and events of 9/11 a proper context. Thanks 🙏 a million for this thoughtful and professional presentation of such an important event in New York City’s and America’s history!

Oh I'm still emotional today watching this. Often I go over the time spent at 1 world 46th floor, will never forget that day, the souls that are gone till my last day. 20 years later brings tears to my eyes. Thank you.

“We’ve all experienced 9/11 in our own way” as someone who was bullied bc of 9/11(muslim that was raised in the early 00s), and too young to have remembered it this hit home lol. My heart goes out to all lives that were lost in this tragedy! I’m so sorry

17:20/ As a native New Yorker, you're not mistaken about the specifics of the designs that make up the Occulus. The slitted windows soaring over the middle of the mall were meant to invoke the original exterior of the Twin Towers! The choice of warm marble was no accident, either. The floors and walls utilize the exact same marble that was used for the original WTC mall. The spinal aspect of the Occulus was meant to invoke a dove as it begins to soar onto flight. Just look at the structure from outside, and you can picture the aviary connection.

I’m glad The architect is finally getting his recognition

One of my friends and coworkers was in this mall when the first plane hit. He had a business meeting that morning but his airline had lost his luggage, so he went there to buy some business attire for the meeting. He was outside on the street directly below the second attack. As large chunks of debris rained down, some firemen urged him to seek cover under a truck until there was a relative pause in the chaos. He then escaped the immediate area on foot and was at a safe distance when the towers fell. Anyway, when I saw this story about the mall at the WTC, I immediately thought of him. It was just by chance he was there that day for a sales meeting and for no other reason. It always reminds me of how we can be taken at any moment without reason or warning.

thank you for you kind words regarding this mall. I worked in a school when this happened..one of the teachers I worked with her nephew worked as a package carrier. He was late to work that day. If he was on time he would have been in the towers delivering packages as he always did. It is mind boggling that some people survived because they were either sick or they were late to work or just simply took the day off..puts things into perspective doesn't it.

Very tastefully done. Wonderful retrospective on this location, and a great look at a current day thriving mall.

The new buildings and museum were beautifully done. Very respectful to those we all lost that day. If you have never been, I highly recommend going and paying your respects.

I'm so very sorry this horrific and traumatizing event had to become the centerpiece of your senior year in high school. It was so hard for those of us who were adults at the time, but I can only imagine how frightening and terrifying it must have been for kids, and especially those who were far too young to even begin to try and grasp this kind of evil exists in the world. This is a lovely, respectful, emotionally mature video. Thank you for taking the time to film, edit, and upload it for others to share in remembering.

My aunt and uncle worked at AT&T, and both witnessed the second jet fly into the World Trade Center. It seriously affected them the rest of their lives. To say they were clearly traumatized by the tragic effects of 9/11 would be an understatement. I was on break at work in Pennsylvania when this took place. Still rattles me to this day.

Very moving video and respectfully done. I did not know anyone personally affected by 9/11 but it still makes me incredibly sad to think about. I am from the UK and I can remember watching the events unfold on the TV and just not knowing what to do but cry and feel really angry, which I still do when I think about it. What is heartening to know though is how the US picked itself up after this tragic event and something that inspired me at the time and still does. Sending love from the UK.

Beautifully and respectfully done, Anthony. Thank you ❤️❤️

Still crazy to think this actually happened. A lot of peoples lives changed that day. I’m in the uk and remember running to the local tv shop in the mall I worked in just in time to see the second plane hit. Truly heartbreaking.

When I was young, I was fascinated by architecture, I loved famous buildings and landmarks, and I even had a huge book full of big pictures of the biggest buildings on Earth. The World Trade Center towers were on the last page, and I remember the photo of them was taken on a foggy night, so the view of the towers wasn't very good. I always thought when I'm older, I'll be able to find some really good, close-up pictures of these buildings, and study them in the same detail I did with the (then) Sears Tower in Chicago. I was 11 years old that morning. At home, my family was homeschooled. That morning we were taking it easy, just playing a board game. Risk. I was in the process of rolling the dice to defend the Northeastern American territory from an invasion when my dad came upstairs and turned on the TV. "Once again you're looking at live video of lower Manhattan, where sources tell us that an airplane, a jetliner has crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center..." I kept thinking "It's going to be okay, things like this happen.. It happened to the Empire State Building a long time ago. Newer buildings should be able to handle it. The Fire Department is there, the Police are there... Obviously a huge disaster, but they can handle it." It felt like hours. It felt like if I looked away from the screen, it would be the next day, even though obviously it was still morning in New York. But I kept telling myself it would be okay. Until the second plane came into frame. I knew right away it was banking way harder than a jetliner was supposed to, and it was turning toward the building. It wasn't an accident, it wasn't a disaster, and my thoughts turned to "This is an attack... And they're not going to stop at two. What's happening in other cities?" It wasn't long before the towers were gone, the Pentagon had been hit by a mysteriously wingless jetliner, a tragic and heroic story crashed in Pennsylvania, and the entire world was a different place. For the first time in my life, there were bad guys out there. There was an enemy, and they don't want to take your land, they want you dead. They kill people so that those people will die, no other reason. From then on, I feel fear, of what they might do to me given the chance. I feel anger at what they do to other people for no good reason. And I feel determination to not let it happen to me, or those around me. It's not a happy ending. It's not the nicest sentiment, even. It's how I feel, and the impact that it had on me. I will never forget the lost. I will never forget the loss. I will never forget the heroes. I will never forget the villains. They will not have me.

Not gonna lie, this one was a tough one to watch; I did not know this mall was an escape route for 9/11 victims. The pain of that tragic day weighs on our collective conscience, even a shmuck like me in the Midwest who saw the collapse on a news loop after waking up from a graveyard shift, and a few hours after the fact. Very moving work as always, Anthony from Ace’s Adventures. ✊🇺🇸 #nevereverforget

Great moving video Anthony. RIP to the 10 Australians lost in 9/11. We will never forget

I know I am late to the party. And I didn't suffer any personal loss, either. But Ace, I am crying right now. This is the absolute BEST video you have ever made. Stellar. Top-notch. Just...perfect. I can's say enough. Thank you for your touching tribute, beautifully written, so respectfully spoken, and so incredibly moving. I hadn't gotten around to subscribing to your channel yet, and I'm sorry for that. I can see I did myself a great disservice. You are one of the best. I am definitely subbed now.

"Go home & be with your families"...this is exactly what 1 of the VP's at my job said to us just before dismissing us that day. It was shocking, almost surreal....had never seen or heard anyone at that job speak like that. Things have never really been the same

I was a senior in high school, too. 20 years later, it still hurts so much to think about. That event, in addition to claiming thousands of innocent lives, sent this country on a downward spiral that we still haven't recovered from. One of the most traumatizing things I've ever lived through.

I remember getting home from work at 1:40pm on 9/11. My Mum had the news on in the background while she was talking to my sister. About 10 minutes or so after I got home, the news reports about the first plane going into the North tower ( I live in England ). After that we were glued to the television for many hours afterwards. Absolutely horrible day and my thoughts go out to the bereaved families, survivors and everyone affected by 9/11. 👍👍🙏🙏

I shopped at the mall pre 9/11 almost daily. I worked at 150 Broadway and after work I'd stop in for something to take home for dinner and other odds and ends. In addition to the mall there were so many street vendors around. I remember one sweet lady who one dozen roses for $4. Every Thursday I'd buy roses from her. Amazing stuff.

On the date this year, 2022, I opened the Chicago Tribune newspaper and was astounded that nowhere was 9/11 mentioned anywhere! I could not believe how such a significant and traumatic date was not mentioned in any way. I recall my 9/11 experience when I got a call at home from my wife who was at work about the unfolding event. I had a client meeting that day and noticed how the sky was absolutely devoid of planes. This was close to O’hare airport when typically airplane traffic is non stop. I fail to grasp how people can just forget such socially vital memorials so quickly. I have not been to NYC for many years so I have not seen the new WTC One. I did however visit the memorial at Shanksville, PA. It is a very well done tribute and very moving. I hope that terrible events don’t happen again. I do however feel that we need to remember and pay tribute to those who perished, those who lost the perished and those who heroically gave of themselves to save and help the injured and those who lost.

You've been taking about hard times lately but dang if you didn't make a masterpiece with this one!!!

I was in my first year paramedic training on 9/11. A classmate walked in and told us what happened. I will never forget the expression of heartbeak and silence from my instructor who was a fellow firefighter.

thank you for making this video. i was at the World Trade Center on 9/10/01 around 3pm. i spent about an hour sitting in the courtyard and staring up at the towers. i haven't been back down there since. maybe one day, i will be able to return.

I lived in Nevada and my 2 oldest were in school, hubby was at work. I had worked late the previous night so me and my baby were still sleeping. Hubby calls and says "A plane crashed into one of the twin towers" I was still half asleep and had no clue what he was going on about and got grumpy with him and hung up, tried to fall back asleep and couldn't. So I got up and turned the t.v. on. The 2nd plane had just hit. I called hubby to apologize, then sat there and just cried watching it all unfold on t.v. Just thinking about it makes me water up now. Thanks for the video.

Great job! Very heartfelt and respectful. I was also a senior in high school, I heard it on the radio while driving to my zero hour class (west coast), honestly not really realizing what was going on, and then got to school where tvs were already tuned in to the news in every room. Great video

I was inside the mall on August 1st 2001 with my History class we were there for the Observation Deck for a school field trip and the teacher took us kids to the Deck then the mall where we went into the Warner Bros Studio Store and i got a Tasmanian Devil plush doll still have it to this day. Sad to think that a month later it was all gone. 😭

Thank you for being so respectful of this place. It truly is hallowed ground. I never realized that the mall saved so many. For that I am grateful. May all affected during this tragedy have peace and love surround them.

When I first saw this on the news when I was 11 years old, I didn't get it due to my severe autism until several years later and when I watched this video wow, this indeed did get me good! Let's never forget this tragic day 😭

I did go to ground zero a year after 9-11 and it was totally cleaned up by then. Just a giant hole in the ground. Amazing how quickly they were able to do that. Seeing that Warner Bros store and the happy looking bugs bunny statue covered in dust is very creepy.

You are such a sentimental guy and I really admire that. You can tell you have a big heart! I think it’s so important to keep this conversations going and to recognize that that it’s ok to still feel emotional, it was a very traumatic day in history on our own soil. The love and strength we all shared to stand back up is what we need now more than ever. Beautiful ending

Beautifully done and respectful to all. I had not known about the role the mall played in helping that day. Thanks doing this video and reminding us all.

I'm seeing this 2 yrs after you posted it but have been drawn to 9/11 remembrances this year. Thank you so much for this post and your comments. I am so afraid that, as a Nation, we are forgetting already. So many of our younger people were too young to comprehend all that happened.

Visually the mall is very stunning but physically awfully to navigate. The long corridors are great for social distancing and movie shoots. Most of the stores are niche luxury brands that serves the tourist crowd. The train connection element of the mall is separate. It’s a pretty photo backdrop but hardly generates revenue

I still cry when I watch documentary about that day it will forever be in our hearts to the families who lost loved ones I'm truly sorry for your loss even still to this day

I was a Senior in High School as well on Long Island. I’ll never forget where I was either. After high school I joined the Marines because of 9-11. I’m now retired and totally disabled. Crazy to think how many years have gone by. We can never forget the people who lost their lives that day. 🙏🙏🙏

Wow what a beautiful video to commemorate the ones who lost their lives on that fateful day 9/11/2001. Thank you for honoring all who lost their lives and the many loved ones they left behind and all who took part in the rescue process. Let us not forget as we will never forget. R.I.P. to all the sweet angels who lost their lives on that day ... Peace xx

Good sir... that was the most tactful, respectful, and touching tribute that I have ever seen from anybody not from New York; let alone this country. I thought my tears had all but dried out; but here they are again. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this stunning display of kindness to those who still bear scars from this terrible day; and always will. To make a safe haven for such people is a noble thing to do. With much love and respect from a New Yorker who did not lose anyone that day; but knew countless friends and family of friends who were taken from us that day, and still lives in the shadow of this horrible event. I humbly thank you.

The most realest video to date. It’s not just only a mall, it’s personal to everyone. I have been to the property several times since even before the grand opening. A stunning mall to honor everyone that lost loved ones. Westfield WTC will always be one of my favorite and sacred malls ever because of that. 🇺🇸🙏🏾

Incredibly respectful. Thank you. Never forget.

Thank you for this video and exactly as you said , yes that is hallowed ground.

Visited the memorial and mall back in 2018. The memorial was just unbelievable. Being at the mall was also sad that day as we walked by the Kate Spade store, it was the day after she died.

It’s a damn shame how the badly the decision to have less stairwells would have haunting consequences years later

This is really beautiful. Thank you. On that day I was stationed in San Diego. I was in the Navy and getting ready to retire in a couple of years. My dad was a pilot and I'd grown up around airports and tarmacs. I got a part time job with frontier working as a ticket agent and also down in ops. I worked mostly weekends and an occasional night during the week if they were shorthanded and needed someone to operate the jet way. That morning of 9/11 was different because we were having a mandatory employee meeting and I was going to be going to my Navy job a couple of hours late. Our first flight left at 0630'ish and the plan was for everyone to come in around that time for the meeting. Our next flight left around 9am so there was a slight break. I was rushing to get there on time and as I was leaving the house, the first plane hit the north tower I believe. Commentators thought it was a small plan that got off course. As I was driving to the airport I heard on the radio that the second plane hit. When going to work at San Diego International Airport, employees had to allow extra time once you got there, because you had to part in a big gravel lot across harbor drive and catch a shuttle. But this morning I was running late and was just going to park in front of the terminal in the customers parking. I didn't live that far from the airport, maybe 10 minutes, but when I turned in to park in front of the airport, there was already national guardsmen all around the front of the airport and they wouldn't let me come through. I said screw it and parked right there on harbor drive and started running towards the entrance. I made sure my employee badge was highly visible, plus I was in my navy whites, so they didn't slow me down. Frontier was squeezed in-between the Delta counter and American West. The plane was on the runway in the lineup so our meeting started. I think one or two got off the ground but they came back. All flights canceled. That flight was full of New Yorkers trying to get home. When they came back to the terminal shortly after, it was crazy. All of us were crying with them. Needless to say, we spent the rest of the day trying to find them accommodations. Some stayed at the airport. We really did our best to take care of them but they were understandably inconsolable. About a month before, sometime in August, I was working an evening shift and was at the counter. I saw a man and a woman in dark suits stopping at each ticket counter and handing them a thick bunch of stapled papers. When they got to me, they informed me that they were FBI and told me that in light of the terroristic threats floating around, that they had put together a list of names of people from the middle east to look out for. This stack of papers was an inch thick and names were front and back. We did our best to follow this list but there were so many names that were alike. A million Mohammeds. Of course we all know now that some of them were living in San Diego. That's really stayed with me, was it me that missed a name? Did we get too complacent? Was it even a realistic goal. Things like that stay with you.

Thank you for sharing. On this tragic day I had awokened on the couch were I'd fallen asleep with the t.v on early that morning after sending my children to school in C.T. So when my eyes were opened it was the first thing I saw,it was on all the channels. I thought I was dreaming. Still being in a state of shock and disbelief, I had to go down to ground zero to see for myself. The silence in the area was just deafening! The looks on everyone's faces,I will never forget. My condolences to everyone who lost someone on 9/11 🌻

The mall has always intrigued me because there is very little info/footage/photos of it because of the lack of technology/internet at the time. I personally follow the stories of the unborn children of those killed. The morning of the attack, we were getting our then 9-month old daughter ready for her 9-month pictures at Sears. As a new mom, I felt such a visceral feeling of protection for those kids.

It is true that 9/11 effected the entire world and the effects can still be felt 20 years later. I was devastated that day, visiting the Twin Towers was on my bucket list and I felt sick to my stomach when I saw the towers fall. This is a beautiful video that has touched my heart, rest in peace to all those who died on September 11th 2001, this is a day that we'll never forget 😢

wonderful video and a great video and way to show respect. thanks for the time it took for you to make this.

Not enough stairwells and not enough lifeboats. Future planners take heed when building ridiculously big buildings or ships. People need to be able to escape safely in an emergency high up in a building or at sea.

Thank u so much for sharing this beautiful place.

My family and I actually stumbled into this mall by accident after going to the viewing place on top of One World Trade. You really wouldn’t believe how silent it was in there. I didn’t realize how vacant it was at the time (we were very lost and had no idea we were even still in the WTC area), but I remember it was nearly void of people besides security personnel. On the original World Trade Center, I’m 16 right now; I wasn’t there on that day but it has always been a point of intrigue for me out of a need to understand the history that made America the way it is today. The one that I’m experiencing as a direct fallout. I really appreciate these kinds of videos because for me, someone who *can’t* remember 9/11, they’re the only way to preserve it.

Thank you, Anthony. I'm a little late to your channel, possibly, but have become a subscriber mere for the fine way you held and handled this clip/package and this solemn space. Again, Anthony, thank you.

Ughhhh... so profoundly moving, heart-wrenching and healing. Well done.

It is hallowed ground. It's the sight of a mass murder of nearly 3000 people. I still think that nothing should have been built on that sight.

I remember that day very well. I was at work doing setting up the dining room for lunch at the nursing home where I worked at the time when my girlfriend (eventually wife, now ex-wife) saw both planes hit both towers. She told me after the first one and I said "What a terrible accident." A few minutes later she came and told me about the second tower being hit, I remember saying something's going on. A month before 9-11, her and I went to Niagara Falls for a few days. I still think how lucky we were that we planned the trip for August.

On this final day of September 2022, 20 years ago I was en route to work in The Bay Area. Typically I’d listen to Howard Stern on the radio on my way to work, so I would have know much sooner what was happening. Since I had a new System of a Down CD playing in my cd radio walkman, I was oblivious to everything & everyone around as usual. Not until I got to work was when I knew something was up. After seeing the images on a coworkers mini handheld TV is when I realized the events that shaped our world that day. We all were dismissed early & me not wanting to be home alone all day, I headed out with my co worker to his families home in San Francisco. The commute was eerily strange. I never forgot what I felt that day but I’ll be honest, days before the event I felt something huge was coming. I’d listen to a lot of NPR & they’d always update news stories from the Middle East. It just felt like we were due for big events. I even had mentioned it to my neighbor. But in no way could I have ever imagined events of these magnitudes. God Bless the individuals & the families that lost people on that eventful day.

I was in history class here in Canada. I was 15. I distinctly remember my teacher walking into the room, a solemn look on his face, which was unusual for him. He said something along the lines of : "Well. I am not sure you are aware of this, but something huge is going on in New York right now....and the world as we know it is about to change." He always had a bad habit on ranting on everything. But that morning, he did not. We knew it was something terrible, but didn't know what. When we got out of that class around 9h15, everyone was panicking and talking about it, but we didn't have access to any images or anything yet. I remember walking home with other students telling me "It's the end of the world, armageddon is here!" and I was confused. When I got home and saw what my mother was watching on tv, it really hit me. I will never forget my feelings of anxiety, sadness and confusion. What the heck was going on ? In my 15 year old mind, the US was untouchable. I realized unfortunately that it wasn't the case. But I did realize that the American people would never let that go and that they would come back stronger from this. Such a sad story, everyone American or not cried a little (or a lot) that day.

This legit brought me to tears, so you definitely covered it with the respect and honor it deserved. So sad that they were allowed to only make 3 stairwells instead of 6. :( I had no idea that the mall served such an important role in saving people's lives during 9/11. This may be the best mall ever made.

I remember seeing video of the abandoned mall years after 9/11--everything like a time capsule and I haven't been able to locate it, This is the only thing about the mall I have really come across so thank you for doing this.

i was born 2 months after 9/11, but even still, the event has always fascinated me. thank you for the video!

I was at the WTC in December of 2021 truly an incredible site with so much history that we can’t forget. Rip

I was in 6th grade, English. I remember the principle coming on the announcements and saying a plane hit the towers. I have to admit I didn't get it, wasn't sure what buildings they were and thought it was an accident. Later that day in Social Studies the teacher explained what had happened. I don't recall getting dismissed early but once I did get home, my family hugged and watched the news coverage together. I personally haven't been to the site. Once I was near it (a few years later like 2005) and couldn't bring myself to look. My heart still goes out to those who lost someone and anyone who has health problems now.

This was a very informative, and amazing video. I like you, and so many others was truly affected by the tragic events that took place on 9/11. My entire family is from NY and I was 25 years old and will never forget that day, or any of the people who endured such a horrible event, and those who lost their lives. Thank you for bringing more light, and information to people, as so many who were not even born do not know the importance that day carried.

The mall is just so big. As a tourist we were just looking for food and didn't want to shop because of carrying bags. The mall is nice, but it's so big that it's overwhelming.

This was a wonderful video.I remember that day well and how it has changed the world.

OMG. What a beautiful video to honor those we lost and “what” we lost - more than retail or buildings or companies - yes the people we lost - but in addition - a life of beauty and somewhat innocent, naive, wholesome trust that people are all good inside. Thankfully most are. We as a nation came together so unbelievably after 9/11/2001 with the highest spirit of united love after that tragic event. And you, my dear friend, in your words, your actions, and this video have recreated that beautiful spirit of uniting love. You brought me to tears in remembering the loss but also the healing in the loving spirit. Thank you, my virtual friend!!

I grew up just outside NYC in Westchester County NY. I had graduated college a few months prior to 9/11 and did not yet have a job and was actually sleeping when the planes hit. I remember my mom was calling me over and over to wake me up and I finally did and was annoyed at her. I'll never forgot the sound of her voice when she said to get up and turn the TV on NOW. I did and really didn't understand what I was seeing, it seemed like a trailer for a movie. When full realization hit, I remember just being in a state of shock, particularly after the towers came down which I did see as it happened. Crazy thing is I had only just been there 2 days prior on Sunday as a buddy of mine was visiting from out of town and I took him to the top / Windows of the World. I actually took anyone who was visiting NYC for the first time to the WTC and the underground Mall as it was my favorite site in the City. So, after the towers came down I drilled the memory of my last visit into my head as I wanted to treasure them forever. That memory is thankfully still crystal clear and pops into my head whenever I visit the Oculus/Mall and Freedom Tower site which I do fairly frequently (and continue to take visitors there as I had done in the past). Anyway, I got off lucky as I did not lose a family member (Father thankfully was working in Midtown) but the horror of that day is still fresh in my mind. COVID certainly did a number to the City and especially the downtown area but I have full faith that it will recover in time, just as NYC always does after a crisis. Appreciate the video!

Thank you for this! I will never forget...

Thank you for sharing. God bless you Anthony!

Anthony, just wow. This is a great historical piece. This was done with honor and respect. I’m blown away how great this video is.

Imagine being the asshole(s) in the boardroom saying "we can get around the number of staircases"

I was 17 and in my last year of school in Australia. i remember watching it on the news and then going to school and everyone being in totally disbelief. I was in NY this year on the anniversary and it was such a weird and very sad vibe in the city.

Fantastic job on this video! So respectful and informative! Thank you!! 🥰🙏

I’ve never been on your channel before but I’m glad I found my way here today. This made me cry. Thank you so much for the reverent respect you showed for this location, that day, and those that were personally affected in some way. It is so important. We will always remember. #NeverForget

What a beautifully crafted video! Truly and deeply impactful. I'm from Europe and I feel the tragedy as if it happened in my backyard. It was a moment that affected the hearts of the whole world.

I lost my father in the attacks, and let me just say that while I appreciate you wanting to be respectful, you do not have to beat around the bush when talking about the financial impact that covid and rent prices (yes, it’s both) had on things like the mall. In fact… I wish you would’ve spoken about it more. It needs more media coverage. There needs to be outrage about these things closing!!! There needs to be a public outcry for them to be kept open!!! The Tribute Museum/Family Center (which was a smaller museum, down the street from the main one, and also a place for family members and survivors to come together and share their stories) also closed down due to the financial impact of covid, and soaring rent prices. I fought like hell to try and keep it open. Our evil fucking governor by default (Kathy Hochul) actually almost helped… but then she backed out last minute, because she had “better things to do” (aka, signing a bill to try and ban the words “businessman” and “salesman.”) She (and every other person we asked for help) let it close down. Everyone would say “well, we have the main museum now. That one was just to hold family members over.” Nobody was even willing to hear me out (including my own family members, who’re filthy rich, and easily could’ve saved it.) I’m fucking livid. While I love the main museum… it’s far too woke, way too touristy, way too censored, and so concerned with offending people, that it actually winds up offending those of us they should care about the most (family members and survivors.) The tour guides aren’t even allowed to say the word “terrorist,” and it’s run by a bunch of volunteers who’re in college, who don’t know anything regarding what they’re supposed to be doing, and what they’re talking about. The Tribute Center on the other hand… that was a very different experience. It was a lot smaller, way more intimate, and it was basically run by the families. We were actually heard out and listened to. We were the main priority, when it came to who they listened to, heard out, and wanted to please. The tour guides were survivors and family members, who volunteered (not for their resumés) but rather because they actually cared, and they wanted to teach people, as well as share their stories. They were allowed to say the word terrorist. They were not concerned with the possibility of offending the general public. The tours consisted of a ton of fascinating facts, that people otherwise might not have known, they were extremely educational, interactive, intimate, etc, They took and answered questions, they shared personal stories, they even went into the science of how/why the towers caved in the way they did. Overall, it was a very different, very unique, and much better experience. Not to mention… it was the first ever 9/11 museum to open, and it opened right down the street from where the towers stood (making it an extremely important piece of history.) They wound up being given less than 3 months to come up with 3 million dollars for the rent, after months of hanging on by a thread… they couldn’t do it, and unfortunately had to close. No media outlets wanted to cover this. Nobody (including billionaires who were more than happy to donate to the main one) wanted to help. It’s extremely fucking sad. I wound up using my voice and platform to try and help, and it got some media attention… but sadly, it wasn’t enough. I put out a song for my dad called “Still Here (For Dad)” and am donating 50% of the proceeds towards trying to help them reopen btw. That song thankfully got a bit of media coverage on the closer of the Tribute Center, as I had many outlets wanna do a piece on my song, and I made my management reach out to each outlet, and demand they mention the closer of the Tribute Center, and the donation of half of the proceeds in their articles. Even that wasn’t enough though. None of the outlets were huge ones… they were smaller media outlets, and streaming platforms don’t pay a lot to the artist… so I’m pretty limited as to what I can do to help. I’m fighting though, and I won’t rest until it’s reopened. And as for the mall… the fact that it’s now struggling in the same way, and once again, nobody wants to do anything… it’s really fucked up!!! Where the hell is the humanity anymore!?!? People these days love pretending to care, but nobody actually cares. It’s really fucking sad. So thank-you for addressing the financial impact. I only wish you would’ve been less cautious about speaking on it, and more insistent on speaking on it. Please, if you can… use your platform to help bring awareness. It’s extremely important!!! I love your channel btw. Thank-you for this beautifully done video. 💙🙏🏼

I don’t know if anyone could’ve survived even if they built 6 staircases. The planes transected the building destroying everything in its path.