Do you remember where you were, what you were doing, who you were with?
I can remember exact details...even what I was wearing and how my hair was styled that day.
I was working as a receptionist for a commercial flooring company. I had just finished eating a chocolate chip muffin and was trying to hurry and get through some work before I left for the day. I had a doctor's appointment later that morning so I took the rest of the day off.
I was opening the mail when an employee's wife called and told me to cut on a TV. She said a pilot had just made a mistake and flew his plane into one of the World Trade Center towers. I was shocked but had no idea just how serious it was to become...
I went into the conference room and cut on the small color TV. Of course, this was all over the news by then and reports were that it was just a fatal, tragic accident. And then the second plane went into the second tower. Everything changed at that moment. Within minutes, the conference room was full. Everyone sat with their mouths hanging open, shocked at what we were all witnessing. I sat there for maybe an hour, watching the news and feeling like I was on a different planet. This could actually happen...in America?!
It was time for me to leave for my doctor's appointment so I left work reluctantly. At this point, it was around noon...the time when everyone in the area where I worked bombarded the restaurants for the lunch rush. Yet, I pulled out of the parking lot and there was not one car on the street. I got on the highway and it was COMPLETELY empty. My car was the only car on a major highway, during a weekday, at noon. It was SO eerie.
I got a call from my doctor's office while I was driving. They asked if they could reschedule my appointment for another time due to what had happened. I agreed and went home. My mom and my sister were there and we sat and watched the news for the rest of the day. Still in shock and disbelief and what had happened.
I visited the World Trade Center site for the first time last year. It's all fenced up and it's a little hard to see anything but my friends and I all said we just felt "different" standing there and seeing it.
God bless the families, friends and loved ones of those were were lost in this senseless tragedy.
We will never forget.
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5 comments:
I did a similar post about this today.
I remember trying to get home after my office building in New York was evacuated. There were thousands of people in the street just standing around looking stunned. I needed to get home for my niece. She was at school, but because of everything that happened, I wanted her home with me.
I couldn't get her school on the phone, so I really wanted to get back to Queens as soon as possible, but NONE of the subway trains were running...that's why there were so many people standing in the streets.
I was thinking eff it, if I have to, I'll walk across the 59th street bridge into Queens and take a taxi from there to my house, but police wouldn't let any traffic (cars or pedestrians) over the bridge. You were literally stranded in Manhattan.
I don't want to right another post here...but it was the longest day in my life.
I was locked down on a Navy base when the towers hit - they shut that sucker down, no one could go in or out. They base was like a little city, movie theatre, fast food joints, grocery store..but it was scary because for the first few days and the day of, you could not go out of your house unless you had navy business. Still feels like yesterday..
I was running late to work and got news that plane 1 hit the tower as I waited for the elevator in the lobby.
My co-workers and I ALONG WITH JUST ABOUT EVERY ONE ELSE IN THE BUILDING found a way to tune in by radio/television/the internet.
I was convinced it was unreal--some sort of really crude joke until I heard plane #2 hit the other tower--a third plane hit the pentagon and shortly afterwards, the tower went down like a deck of cards.
Sad...just sad.
It's impossible to forget.
I don't really have anything to say. Just stopped by, and appreciated you sharing your 9/11 story.
I was getting dressed to go to school. I was a TA in my senior year of college and it was supposed to be my first day teaching. I first heard about the plane crashing into the building on the radio so turned on the TV and watched for a few minutes, but continued to get dressed and head to the campus. By the time I got to school, a plane had flown into the second building, and another one had flown into the pentagon. Of course no one showed up for class, and I just wanted to be home so I left. I too remember pretty much every thing about that day.
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