After The Feather’s first night in New York, the day begins with a quick breakfast at the Hotel Edison or the Starbucks across the street. The staffers fill up in hopes that it will be enough energy for the day ahead. Although the forecast calls for rain, the staff refused to be discouraged.

The first destination of the day was the 9/11 Memorial pool that commemorates those who lost their lives from the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. The flow of water into the hollow, square pool created a peaceful silence over the entire staff as we stood in awe.

Over 3,000 names of the men, women and children who lost their lives on 9/11 surround the memorial along with flowers left by family or friends. The amount of names that surround both the north and south pools made the severity of the attack that more real. Although it was a foggy, rainy day, the beauty of the memorial remained the same.

The next destination was the 9/11 Museum and a chance to escape the rain for a few hours. After checking bags and coats, staffers were free to explore multiple stories of artifacts, information and live footage from the terrorist attack. Remains of the Twin Towers were on display, which included everything from fire trucks to clothing left behind from those trying to escape the engulfing flames.

Photos and videos taken the day of and the days following the attack were posted around every corner of the museum to give a mental image. Footage of President George Bush, Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Governor George Pataki played in the auditorium where these men gave their own personal accounts of the disastrous day.

The depth of the information I received while at the 9/11 memorial and FOX HQ changed my perspectives on a larger scale. The emotion I felt for September 11 was deeper than anything I had felt before, and my appreciation for journalists and their line of work excited me after I visited FOX. As I learned more, I felt more. — Olivia Quebe

The museum did a very thorough job of covering every aspect and event that occurred before, during and after the terrorist attack conducted by al-Qaeda. Not only was the Twin Towers attack covered, but so were the other two aerial assaults that took place on the same day.

It is not very often that on Sept. 11, people remember the other two planes that were hijacked along with the two that hit the Twin Towers. The third plane taken over by terrorists dove and penetrated the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m., just 34 minutes after the South Tower was hit. It is assumed that the fourth plane’s target was the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., but never made it and crashed in Pennsylvania.

Once the emotional and informational experience reached its end, we were able to witness one of the most breathtaking views of New York and part of New Jersey from the 100th through 102nd floors of the Freedom Tower. Standing at 1,792 feet, the building looks over everything from Jersey Shore to the Empire State Building.

Upon entering the observatory area, workers offer screens resembling iPads to viewers that give information about all the important landmarks visible through the long, glass windows. The devices provided history and interesting facts for us as we looked out through the clouds into the city and Hudson River.

Following the 9/11 site, we were free to roam around Wall Street before changing clothes to take a tour at Fox News Headquarters. One of the chaperones, Jane Quebe, was able to get us a tour with one of her friends who works on the news floor, Ashley Taylor.

Within the first 10 minutes of the tour, we were graced with the presence of Fox News anchor, Megyn Kelly. Jaws dropped as she walked just inches from us. The visit became even more exciting as we were lead into the studio where she films. Personally, my favorite part was sitting in the same seat Kelly sits while she broadcasts. Not many people can say they have done that.

The rest of the tour consisted of different studios, control centers and the chance to interview Floor Director, James Whelan. We were given a real taste of what a serious job in the journalism world is like.

The depth of the information I received while at the 9/11 memorial and FOX HQ changed my perspectives on a larger scale. The emotion I felt for September 11 was deeper than anything I had felt before, and my appreciation for journalists and their line of work excited me after I visited FOX. As I learned more, I felt more.

As the day came to an end, we gathered our Starbucks and sweet treats before heading back to the hotel.

For the previous New York column, please read COLUMN: First impressions of New York

For more about The Feather in NYC, please read Feather takes NYC: Day 2