In 2003, before construction had really started at the World Trade Center site in New York City, a friend from high school made arrangements with a Port Authority police officer for a small group of us to take a private tour of the site, down inside the pit where the building used to stand (normally strictly off-limits to civilians who weren't working there).

I got over the September 11th attacks pretty quickly, but it was still a very tragic event. Standing literally on ground zero, something very few people could do before construction on the new tower started, was an immensely powerful experience, and I connected to the event in a way I don't think I would have otherwise.

Sadly, I didn't have a real digital camera at the time, so these pictures are pretty awful, taken with my old camcorder. But, they're still unique shots, and I felt I should share them.