I was there about a month after 9-11. There were people on the streets selling posters of the Twin Towers. Shameful how low people can go to make a buck or two. The area was secured for about one or two city blocks around the zone, and if you lived in that area you needed a special pass to get in. At the time I went it was still very fresh, and the acrid smell of jet fuel lingered in the air. Debris from the wreck still fluttered about the streets. Memorial wishes were posted in every available spot. I have no idea what it looks like now, but at the time I was there it was not a nice place to be.