VIDEO: Those at Ground Zero Wreath-Laying Ceremony Reflect

The week has been tumultuous for New Yorkers and Americans, as the death of Osama bin Laden has brought unexpected closure to a tragic chapter of U.S. history.

President Barack Obama made a visit to the city Thursday afternoon, a gesture of shared mourning and solidarity with New Yorkers whose lives were forever altered on Sept. 11, 2001.

New York City residents lined the streets, packed up against barricades at the intersection of Barclay and Church streets north of the World Trade Center site.

Security was intense throughout the city, with street closures taking place to clear city traffic for the president’s motorcade and police stepping up patrols and searches on subways.

At Ground Zero, the wreath-laying was a solemn affair. Obama did not make any formal remarks, but shook hands and traded words with members of the honor guard, family members of victims, and local politicians.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Michael Bloomberg were at the location. U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-Forest Hills, who praised the president’s decision not to release photos of Osama bin Laden’s corpse, said the day was important for families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001.

“With Public Enemy number one finally gone, we should instead focus on coming together as a country,” Weiner said. “That is why today I look forward to joining the President, heroic first responders and their friends and families as we honor those who lost their lives on September 11.”

 Matt Hampton and Nathan Duke contributed to this story.