Governor Pataki said it best, I think, when he described the tragedy as thousands of souls rising into heaven together. When we were working in the smoking (in some places still flaming) rubble we were all silenced by the weight of the spirits who lingered in the dust. It was common to dig in a small, hot space side-by-side with a total stranger and not speak a word for hours, not even to exchange names.
There are precious few places that force a hush on those who visit. Gettysburg is one. Omaha Beach is another, as is Dachau. The scale of suffering, sacrifice and heroism is such that the ground is soaked in it and becomes sacred and inviolate. Ground Zero has this spirituality and always will. I feel priveleged and blessed to have had the opportunity to add my prayers and my labor to the effort to recover those remains that we could.
If you ever find your way up from Ts. and want to pay your respects at the site let me know. You could not find a more willing guide.