I asked the store clerk what movie he was watching, he gave me a look that I will never forget and told me that it wasn't a movie at all. He told me that there had been reports of a private plane accidentally crashing into one of the World Trade Center buildings. We talked for a few minutes and then watched in horror as a second plane crashed into it's twin tower. First one tower crumbled like a brittle house of cards and then the other followed suit. It was a surreal, unsettling, and awful event to witness. It was later discovered that we were the victims of cowardly suicidal terrorists who murdered thousands of innocent New Yorker's. Today is eerily reminiscent of that day, a chilly Tuesday morning with clear blue skies, and citizens going about their daily grind.
I remember arriving at work that morning and sitting on the roof with my coworkers watching all hell break loose across the river. I remember seeing bits of burned paper floating on the morning air, and I remember feeling like my life was in danger for the first time, just because I am an American. Since that day the New York City skyline looks like a puzzle with a missing piece. A mere fragment of what it once was, and no matter what stands on that site today it will never be the same.
PR
Yes, as an American and as a resident of Westchester County--just 25 miles away from Ground Zero---I can attest to it being a very frightening day. My co-worker in the next cubicle was trolling the internet (as was his custom as opposed to working) and he exclaimed: "oh, my God!!" I asked him to "hold it down" and he said: "come and look at this!" Well, you know the rest. There was chaos in the office; one of the supervisors rushed out--we found later that she had withdrawn all of her money out of her account; several co-workers left to pick up their children; while others were desperately trying to reach loved ones. I couldn't make up my mind whether I should stay in the County Office Building (protected by County Police) or whether I should just go home. Finally, I took the fatalistic approach and drove home. It was very eerie--I hadn't had that feeling since walking home from school on the day that JFK was assassinated.
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