A Briefcase, A Squegee: The Objects of 9/11

Today we attended the National Museum of American History's September 11: Remembrance Reflection, a very special, limited-run exhibit of about 50 everyday items recovered from the 3 sites attacked that fateful day.

Artifacts ranged from a squegee which was used by workers to free themselves from a stalled elevator at The World Trade Center to United Flight 93 airplane fragments recovered at a field in Shanksville, PA to a Pentagon map from the building's 1st floor to recent acquisitions from the. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

In what was a first for Smithsonian museum, the objects were displayed on tables rather than bewhind glass to provide a moe intimate experience and the actual curators were on hand to personally answer questions.

You can click here to see a Smithsonian Channel video about the exhibit, which is running from Sept. 3 until Sept. 11. 

Travelers' Tip:
Because of demand and the special nature of this exhibit, we had to stand in line for about and 90 minutes.  Instead of complaining, you can use this time to find out about the people around you.  For example, we learned that the California couple behind us was making their 1st trip to DC, and, he, like me, had been playing in classic rock bands since the 1960s. Not only do you learn, but the waiting time passes much faster.