On September 11, 2011, the ten year anniversary of that dreadful, heartbreaking day, I spent most that day on a website dedicated to online memorials for those that perished in the two towers. It was emotionally draining and crippling, but something, on that day, I needed to do.
I can hardly believe it has been another eight years since then.
On this day in 2001, I will never forget watching the buildings collapse on television. It was…mind boggling. The television was on at work and we were all glued to the coverage. I can still hear Peter Jennings in my head.
The night before, my friends and I had been at the mall shopping for a European trip we were taking in October. We never imagined what the next day would bring. If there was any innocence left on September 10th, it was definitely gone forever on the 11th
I had taken the bus that morning and being on the West Coast the news was already coming in. Eventually, my job at the time, dismissed us for the day, knowing there was no work getting done, and those in charge there just as stunned as we were. A friend drove me home. I watched the news nonstop the rest of the day, emotionally wrecked and distraught.
There are things you never forget if you lived through them. The Riots here after the Rodney King thing, OJ Simpson’s being exonerated even though we knew he was guilty, stuff like that. But it all pales in my mind and memories to September 11, 2001.
September 11, 2019 at 12:42 pm
That day was the first day of nursery school for my oldest daughter, who was three years old. She was to go in for the afternoon. We lived about an hour north of New York City. My husband worked in the Bronx at the time and was going to come home in time for us to bring her into school together. My Dad was to watch my twins, that were one year old for us. A friend of mine who was a school nurse called and told me to turn on the TV after the first building was struck. I felt totally numb! My husband had proposed to me at the restaurant Windows on the World. Looking at the TV, it just didn’t seem real!
The nursery school called and said attendance was optional but that they would be open if we wanted to come. How do you tell a three-year-old that you’re not going to pre-school today after all.? We decided to go in anyway and carry on the day as we had originally planned. And took her out to eat at Friendly’s after class let out. Normally bustling Friendly’s was as quiet as a church. What people were there speaking in hushed tones to one another. We certainly didn’t share with her what had just happened. As adults it was terrifying! We certainly didn’t want to share the news with little children who would be frightened by it.
In the days after it was eerie quiet. No airplane traffic whatsoever except for what were obviously military craft moving overhead. Which made me cringe every time I heard it not knowing if it was friendly aircraft or not!
Even now, years later it all seems so unreal. 💔
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September 11, 2019 at 12:59 pm
Wow. I knew you lived on the East Coast but I had no idea how truly close you were to it all. I remember during all that coverage watching the chef/owner of Windows just sobbing in interviews. They were open for breakfast and every single staff member that was there that day was killed. I cried right along with him. The company I work with now had an office in one of them, I think the North tower, and they were all killed that day. I also recall that a co-worker’s nephew worked at Cantor Fitzgerald in Los Angeles and was on the phone with someone there in New York when one of the planes hit and he had to go. They entire office of Cantor Fitzgerald were killed because they were on one of the highest floors. What devastating memories many of us have. But to have been in that building, in that restaurant, how awful for you. Hugs ❤
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September 11, 2019 at 1:51 pm
Thanks. I just read a story about the Windows on the World restaurant. Very interesting and very sad.
http://www.grubstreet.com/2019/09/the-most-spectacular-restaurant-in-the-world-book-excerpt.html?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=s1&utm_campaign=nym
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September 11, 2019 at 1:45 pm
Ed was to fly to Germany that day for his Fullbright scholarship.
One of my residents came pounding on my door to tell me to turn on the news.
Held another resident who was from the city and couldn’t get ahold of her family.
I will never forget. Not just what I was doing but the lives lost. The fear in the face of terrorism. The hope of heroism.
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September 11, 2019 at 2:20 pm
Yes all of that. Thank you ❤
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September 11, 2019 at 3:14 pm
I think I’ve repeated our family story of that day and that week. Of the upcoming wedding, all our flights that were cancelled, frantically renting cars and the long LONG trip zigzagging to pick up different wedding party members on our way.
Our planned fun of spa day and hair and nails and all that replaced by memories of all the NY overpasses covered with banners and people with flags waving to the passing traffic. All the NY lighted construction signs set out along the southern route highway, with either “God Bless America” or a US flag spelled out in their lights. Barely making it by time for the rehearsal and dinner. The best man’s sister who lived there but moved back to Texas because she didn’t feel safe in NY any more, and then within a year was killed in a traffic accident here. What a thing. 18 years. This means that 99.99% of our graduating seniors were not even born yet on 9/11.
But it brought us together for a short while. The things we argued about on 9/10 were revealed as the meaningless, trivial drivel they really were. And we finally understood somewhat how our parents and grandparents felt the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. They never got over that day either.
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September 11, 2019 at 4:24 pm
Yes, hard to believe there are many born after, alive today, that never knew that day. I am not sure they aren’t the lucky ones. But too soon we forget to be civil to each other, but we were united then. ❤
I do recall about the wedding. I went to one a few days after in Vegas that we drove for because no one was flying. I wasn't going originally but since almost no one could come after that, I was included.
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September 11, 2019 at 4:55 pm
I was in 5th grade. Gotten to school just as news of everything was coming in. Don’t remember anything about school that day except for all us kids talking about what we were hearing from teachers or from kids that had gotten into school a little later. That something bad had happened. I think a TV was put on for a little while in the room but it wasn’t until I got home that I really saw and understood what had happened. My best friend at the time didn’t come to school the next day as he was too upset having spent the whole time glued to the TV after school the previous day watching everything. When he did come back, he kept talking about the people jumping 😦
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September 11, 2019 at 6:29 pm
Yeah I think if I’d had a child I would have kept them away from the TV
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