Nearly 300 Staten Island residents were killed in the World Trade Center attacks and many memorials built in their honor continue to draw visitors. NY1's Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.
Maintaining Angel's Circle is no small task. The faces of more than 200 Staten Islanders killed in the World Trade Center attacks are mounted on stakes dug into the ground.
Ornaments and decorative keepsakes lie in front of the photographs, mementos left behind by family and friends.
Flowers add color and life to the former traffic island and Michael Ariemma and his family have been responsible for its upkeep - free of charge - for much of the last 15 years.
"Flowers tend to make people happy. And the prettier the place is, generally, the better mood you'll be in," Ariemma said.
Angel's Circle started with a simple sign that read "God Bless Our Heroes" and a few candles just the day after the attacks.
It grew almost immediately. Fifteen years later, there are benches, paved walkways and neatly trimmed bushes and plenty of flowers:
For those who still struggle with 9/11 losses, Angels Circle is a place of quiet reflection - an intimate space that feels homey and personal.
"It takes your breath away. The grief, that's in here, look at these little things, all these little things, means that somebody's been in here, looking and grieving," said Linda Perez, whose friend was lost in the attacks.
The city's official Staten Island 9/11 memorial is called Postcards.
With majestic views of the Lower Manhattan skyline, Postcards features the profiles of 274 residents killed on 9/11 and in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing etched on two 30 foot wing-like structures, meant to represent large postcards to loved ones.
Postcards went up in 2004, and every year since, thousands gather to mark the anniversary, leaving long-stemmed roses and mementos.
The Ariemmas also maintain this memorial, but construction at the New York Wheel and the Empire Outlet Center has prevented them from sprucing it up recently.