The Tribute in Lights illuminates the sky over lower Manhattan ahead of the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, in New York, September 10, 2014. Until a few months ago, the part of New York City where crowds will gather on Thursday morning to mark the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the United States had been mostly fenced off to the public. This year, for perhaps the first time since the attacks, a sense of normalcy and openness has taken root in the city blocks where two airliners hijacked by militants from al Qaeda crashed into the World Trade Center's twin towers. Rebuilding efforts at the site, where 2,753 people died, are nearing completion. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton (UNITED STATES - Tags: DISASTER SOCIETY ANNIVERSARY POLITICS)