9/11

Today is the 8th anniversary of that Tuesday in September of 2001. It would have been just another forgettable workday like so many others but it's now etched into the memory forever. Today, like on every anniversary, they read the names of the victims. It takes a while and as it goes on it becomes an emotional undertaking.

That day started out as a regular day at the office when we started getting reports about a plane hitting the World Trade Center. Many of us just assumed it was a small 4-seater who lost its way but as info started coming in it was obvious this was bad - real bad. Our huge office building was considered to be a "target of opportunity" before we knew that there were such things. This day started a whole new mentality and vocabulary thanks to some lunatics. We had to evacuate immediately and we met - as per plan - at a local midtown Manhattan park. People were confused, upset and scared. I saw a woman who worked for me crying and it was then I realized her brother worked for Cantor Fitzgerald on one of the top floors - he didn't make it we later found out. It started to become very real after that point - this was no Disney attraction. The smoke rising from the 2 towers was visible from the intersection of 5th Ave and 42nd St.

A co-worker and myself made our way over to a friend's apartment on Park Avenue where we watched the TV for updates. Of course there were no trains or buses thus no way to exit the city so we just watched the screen in horror. I can recall the first tower collapsing and feeling the floor in the apartment rumble - quite an effect.

I made contact via e mail with my sister in North Carolina. For some reason she was the only one who I could contact and she did her best to advise family. My wife was somewhere in Pennsylvania on business and my son was soon to be released early from school. I wasn't sure how I'd get home that day. Many people just started walking. Manhattan seemed like a movie set with hoards of people on the sidewalks and streets. I made contact with a friend at one of the TV networks who drives into the city. He was there and had his car but he was officially on duty until further notice. His son, however, worked nearby and was going to take the car and head home - I was offered a ride.

As I walked over to where the car was parked - a good 1.5 miles taking me through Times Square - I was able to walk in the middle of Broadway since there was no auto traffic. I also saw fighter jets flying up and down the East and Hudson Rivers. I could look south and see the smoke since now both towers were down. Even though I was in a hurry I stopped and looked around to remember the scene. Sounds corny but I remember thinking "Ugh, this is OUR Pearl Harbor"...

We got to the car and had the West Side Highway all to ourselves. No cars except for police and fire. We got to a security checkpoint before the tolls and for some reason - later to be determined we had NY Press license plates - they let us go through. It took a while but we got home and watched TV for the next 48 hours. Talk about time killing? Nothing lighthearted about this though..