1010 WINS 9/11 Series: A Look Inside The WTC Memorial Site

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- This Sunday will mark 10 years since the World Trade Center towers fell. And that is the day the much-anticipated 9/11 memorial will be dedicated.

1010 WINS reporter Steve Sandberg recently took a private, guided tour of the 9/11 memorial and got a look at what the families and visitors will experience for the first time.

People will enter the breathtaking memorial plaza from the southwest corner in the bustling West Side Highway.

1010 WINS' Steve Sanberg Tours The 9/11 Memorial

"The first thing they're going to see is this very long, large grove of Swamp White Oak trees -- a place that is unlike any other," said Joe Daniels, the head of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

Horizontal pathways of light-gray granite and cobblestone lead to the south reflecting pool and a single Callery Pear tree.

Daniels said the tree, known as the "survivor tree," was found 95 percent destroyed on 9/11. It was also struck by lightning in 2010 even after being nursed to health in the Bronx.

"It's a symbol of this country that was struck by lightning, the events of 9/11 -- we're still here, we're still surviving," Daniels said.

The sounds of the city are also drowned out by the rush of the nation's largest man-made waterfalls.

"It's a zone of reverence almost -- each an acre in size, about 26,000 gallons of water pumped through each of the pools every single minute," Daniels explained.

Sandberg said the pools create a "sound envelope" that allows for calm, peaceful reflection as you gaze upon the names of the victims. Each name is arranged with the purpose of telling their individual stories.

"Every part of the design is meant to express that this will be here forever," Daniels said.

The Memorial opens to the public on September 12, 2011 with the reservation of a visitor pass.

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