9/11

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by red-beard

On Dec 26th, 1999, I was passing through NY on the way to JFK. I joked that I better take a photo of the towers...I was about 21 months early...

I took this pic of my son in July 2001 this is the observatory on the top floor. About 6 weeks later the buildings were gone.



I never returned back to my home state after that until 2 years ago in June. When I got to ground zero it was a lot to take in. I looked over at 1WTC and thought, I will never go up in that building.



I think I took 1 or 2 pictures when I first got there, then it started to set in. After we walked around for a few and took it in, we were pretty bummed out and somber. Then my wife noticed a man sitting on a bench nearby holding a watch in his hand and sobbing. We started to get choked up and left. I was a little put off by the people taking selfies with big stupid smiles on their faces. It was really off putting to me especially when there was a man sitting 20 feet away crying, most likely over the loss of a loved one. Yet, that is how things are today, its all about the perfect selfie.


WTC was our meeting place when we visited NYC years ago, we would take the subway there and meet in the courtyard outside between the buildings. It was weird they were not there anymore.

[tcar]

Remember having a $30 gin and tonic on top about a year before 9-11...

[cairns]

I used to go there to visit NYCTA (one of the most corrupt transit agencies in the US). They rented top levels because no one else wanted to. The building gave me the creeps.

[Jims5543]

Originally Posted by tcar

Remember having a $30 gin and tonic on top about a year before 9-11...

You just reminded me of my Great Uncle....

I had a great uncle that worked in Financial News used to be the co-publisher of a small financial rag in the 80's and 90's. He lived in NYC and my Aunt lives in NYC who also worked in Financial being a Executive VP for Morgan Stanley in the 90's into the 2000's before the crash.

My Great uncle lived his life as if. He lived it as if he was uber wealthy and lived WAY beyond his means. He also LOVED to laugh and was the life at any family function from Thanksgiving dinner to Weddings. He was gay (in the closet) I figured it out and din't care, my religious relatives (some were strict Catholic others were JW's) did so he kept his lifestyle under wraps.

Whenever I came to NYC we had to meet up, I remember coming in one Sunday in the early 1990's by subway with my then new wife who only met him a couple of times. We met at the WTC and he treated us to Brunch, in the WTC, I think it was about $60 a head which was a lot to me back then, even now. He paid for all 4 of us like it was nothing. Because he lived his life as if....

I loved that guy his attitude was always positive no matter what. He could piss away everything he made as he did not have kids or anyone to leave it to, so he lived his life and he lived it well.

He did not die in the WTC, just talking about it made me remember him and the good times we had together, and the amazing Brunch (which was lost on my 20 y/o ass) in that fancy restaurant.

[TimT]

Welcome to my office circa 1985?



As a native New Yorker..

To those who dismiss this event and try to spin conspiracies. To those that ***** about an expensive cocktail...

As a New Yorker I say

**** YOU

I saw, with my own eyes... the second plane hit...

I saw and worked in/on the huge mounds of debris..

Some school in Alaska telling us how building 7 really fell??

The devastation that was there and the damage to the surrounding buildings may never be explained..

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by TimT

I saw, with my own eyes... the second plane hit...

Was in a cab by the flatiron building on the way in to work looking down 5th when I saw the first one go in. Heard the second one go over our building.

My apartment was below 34th street but above Canal so I was spared the worst of it, but the one thing I’ll never forget is the smell. It lingered for months afterwards. A horrible mix of burned plastic and something else.

[Crowbob]

Seconds after the second plane hit I walked out of the office ('I'm outta here') that beautiful day. Got home and called mom and dad.

Later, I went out into the yard, dropped to my knees, looked up into the bluest sky i'd ever seen and I think I prayed. It felt like I was praying, anyway.

Soon my son came home from work and together we wept.

[red-beard]

I just took a new job and it was my second day of work in San Diego. I called my sister and told her to turn on the TV. She balked at this. I said the world has changed.

My semi-ex-GF still had a key to my house in Albany. She walked from work to my old place and watched the coverage on TV. She couldn't believe it.

The transport company called me and said my Jeep Cherokee was sitting in a parking lot in New Jersey and it would be delayed. I said "Wow. It will have dust on it from the World Trade Center". "Oh sir, we can have it washed." I told her that wasn't my point. Dust from the destruction of the World Trade Center was on my car. I was exasperated.

I had friends on business trips. They rented cars and drove coast to coast with whoever needed to go.

[rattlsnak]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

The pictures of the people jumping hit me the hardest for some reason. I don’t know if it’s bravery or desperation that would make someone jump over burning alive.

I remember watching it live and there was a camera man was filming some firefighters walking around at the base of the one of the towers and all of a sudden you heard a "THUMP", and then another and another, etc.. The firefighter said, " What is that?", and the camera man panned up and you could see the bodies coming down and the fireman truned and looked and just said "Oh My God!"

That memory is etched in my brain.. I can't imagine having to make that decision.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by drcoastline

Thanks for posting Paul,

Agree excellent article.

I remember it like it happened this morning. It was a beautiful morning, back then I watched Matt and Katie. I was sitting on the couch drinking my coffee leisurely putting on my shoes getting ready for work as my one year old daughter ran about the living room.

Then Katie report the first plane hitting. I thought what a freak accident how do you hit a sky scrapper on a day like today? Then the second hit. I thought someone is going to be in big trouble sending those planes out on the wrong flight path. As time went on struggled to believe it was terrorism. My now Ex asked at one point do you think they will fall? Literally as I began to answer "Maybe part of a building may come off but, I don't think they will come all the way down" The first tower started to come down.

I didn't go to work that day.

I had a similar conversation with my then wife. She said "what will they do with the buildings when the fires are out?".
Me, "they'll probably demolish what's left". Just after I said that the first tower collapsed.

At first I didn't understand what I was watching as it collapsed. The top tilted as it fell.
Then the second tower collapsed & I had had a strong feeling of dread. I knew the world would never be the same again.

I got zero sleep but I went to work the morning.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by madcorgi

. . .

Nothing to add Mr Corgs?

[KFC911]

He misquoted me......