![Note: this photo was published in a Sep 16, 2010 EveryBlock New York City zipcodes blog, titled "10014 ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/zipcodes/10014/ ) ."
****************
When September 11th rolls around each year, there are memorial events all over the world ... and in New York City, everyone expects that they'll be held at Ground Zero. That's where the awful event occurred, that's where the politicians usually show up to pontificate, and that's (roughly) where a controversial debate has taken place throughout the summer and fall of 2010 about the plans to build a nearby mosque.
But there are other 9-11 memorial services in New York, too, and this year I decided to visit one of them: the 9-11 WTC Memorial "Floating Lanterns Ceremony." It was apparently inspired by an annual event in Hiroshima, where people gather to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of the atomic bombings of World War II, and all victims of war.The largest such event is apparently held in Seattle (click here ( http://www.wingluke.org/hth10/ ) to see details of the ceremony that took place on Aug 6, 2010), and the New York event was initiated by members of a local kayak group, who used their kayaks to help launch floating lanterns out into the Hudson River each year.
I don't know about previous NYC floating-lantern memorials, since this was the first one I attended; but in any case, it was held at Pier 40, right where Houston Street intersects the West Side Highway and meets the Hudson River down in Greenwich Village. The primary sponsor was the New York Buddhist Church, and a number of other religious and civic groups participated and supported the event; you can read the details here ( http://www.newyorkbuddhistchurch.org/documents/9-11-2010_press_release.pdf ) .
I took some photographs of the speakers, the people gathered to hear the ceremony, and the lanterns themselves ... but unfortunately, I didn't stay to watch the actual launching of the lanterns out into the river. Sunset was at 7:15 on this particular evening, and there were enough clouds on the horizon that I figured that the dusk light wouldn't last long. The lantern "launch" event was scheduled for 7:45 PM, and from the pace of the earlier activities, I figured they would probably be well behind schedule ... which meant that it would be pitch-black by the time the lanterns were sent out onto the river to float south, perhaps out into the ocean beyond New York.
The vivid, intense, royal-blue 9-11 Ground Zero spotlight would have been shining by then, and perhaps there would have been some good photos to take ... but I decided to leave that for others. For the record, there were dozens of other "serious" photographers there, many with very sophisticated cameras and sturdy tripods; so I fully expect that there will be some stunning photos of the lantern-launching that you'll be able to find out there on the Internet.
But as for me, you'll have to make do with the photos that I took of the people and the individual lanterns. Maybe next year I'll stay for the whole thing ...](/Other/Sunsets/i-cmcc8Pp/0/Ti/9-11%20Memorial%2C%20Sep%202010%20-%2039_4995805104_o-Ti.jpg "Note: this photo was published in a Sep 16, 2010 EveryBlock New York City zipcodes blog, titled "10014 ( http://nyc.everyblock.com/locations/zipcodes/10014/ ) ."
****************
When September 11th rolls around each year, there are memorial events all over the world ... and in New York City, everyone expects that they'll be held at Ground Zero. That's where the awful event occurred, that's where the politicians usually show up to pontificate, and that's (roughly) where a controversial debate has taken place throughout the summer and fall of 2010 about the plans to build a nearby mosque.
But there are other 9-11 memorial services in New York, too, and this year I decided to visit one of them: the 9-11 WTC Memorial "Floating Lanterns Ceremony." It was apparently inspired by an annual event in Hiroshima, where people gather to float lanterns in remembrance of the victims of the atomic bombings of World War II, and all victims of war.The largest such event is apparently held in Seattle (click here ( http://www.wingluke.org/hth10/ ) to see details of the ceremony that took place on Aug 6, 2010), and the New York event was initiated by members of a local kayak group, who used their kayaks to help launch floating lanterns out into the Hudson River each year.
I don't know about previous NYC floating-lantern memorials, since this was the first one I attended; but in any case, it was held at Pier 40, right where Houston Street intersects the West Side Highway and meets the Hudson River down in Greenwich Village. The primary sponsor was the New York Buddhist Church, and a number of other religious and civic groups participated and supported the event; you can read the details here ( http://www.newyorkbuddhistchurch.org/documents/9-11-2010_press_release.pdf ) .
I took some photographs of the speakers, the people gathered to hear the ceremony, and the lanterns themselves ... but unfortunately, I didn't stay to watch the actual launching of the lanterns out into the river. Sunset was at 7:15 on this particular evening, and there were enough clouds on the horizon that I figured that the dusk light wouldn't last long. The lantern "launch" event was scheduled for 7:45 PM, and from the pace of the earlier activities, I figured they would probably be well behind schedule ... which meant that it would be pitch-black by the time the lanterns were sent out onto the river to float south, perhaps out into the ocean beyond New York.
The vivid, intense, royal-blue 9-11 Ground Zero spotlight would have been shining by then, and perhaps there would have been some good photos to take ... but I decided to leave that for others. For the record, there were dozens of other "serious" photographers there, many with very sophisticated cameras and sturdy tripods; so I fully expect that there will be some stunning photos of the lantern-launching that you'll be able to find out there on the Internet.
But as for me, you'll have to make do with the photos that I took of the people and the individual lanterns. Maybe next year I'll stay for the whole thing ...")
Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawareness
Ring-billed Gull, Larus delawareness
See photo in original gallery.
filename: IMG_6500 |