9/11 is arguably the most notable terrorist attack of the 21st century. The assault on the World Trade Center buildings not only caused irreparable damage – on and beneath the surface – to New York City, the US, and the world, but they also signalled significant changes in foreign policy and focus. Security was tightened and, for months after the attack on the Twin Towers, tourism diminished greatly.
But now, 14 years on, Manhattan is calling for people to visit Ground Zero. Today a new World Trade Center building – initially dubbed the Freedom Tower – stands at the site, the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere, along with the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. It is now a place of peace and reflection that is undoubtedly a place of dark tourism, but also signals a bright, new chapter in New York’s future.