Manhattan’s skyline and the lives of families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001 will never be the same. But 12 years later, as the new Freedom Tower nears completion, the footprint of the World Trade Center’s twin towers has been transformed into the 9/11 Memorial. Cascading reflecting pools etched with the names of those who died stand where the 110-story buildings once did. The memorial echoes with sorrow and yet shines with the resilience of the city and its people. A museum will open in spring 2014.