For now, visitors still stop at the old site, even though most memorials are at the new one, which will open in two weeks.
But then the other option is, if anything, worse: the kitsch of the neoclassical Bomber Command memorial at the other end of Hyde Park Corner, whose only possible virtue is that it "looks like a memorial", which for most classical revivalists is enough.
It's the most graphic portion of the memorial, which is followed by a serene pathway and greenery that lead to the panels engraved with names such as Charles Shipman, lynched in 1918 in Bend County, Texas, for "arguing with the white owner of the plantation where he lived and worked".
"There is a very important emotional dimension to the war memorial, which is probably Saarinen's most austere building," Mr. Calatrava said.
The effort that media outlets are embracing most enthusiastically is a public-service ad campaign for the national memorial, which is being coordinated by the Advertising Council.
One of the most interesting aspects in the work is the idea of counter-memorial, which Mr. Lemon acts out on film.
He has carefully entered a dispute over the memorial, which pits families against residents of Lower Manhattan and Mr. Bloomberg against Mr. Giuliani, who wants to see most of Ground Zero transformed into a memorial.
Most participants in the debate over the site are loath to publicly express disagreements for fear of igniting a battle that would hurt the museum and the memorial, which has attracted millions of visitors since it opened.
Manson sang at the memorial, which Vig also attended.
Most memorial books include information and photos of the person's life along with their passing.
