Quote:
Originally posted by Laneco
This past summer, I was working in bergen county NJ. Had a Sunday off so I hopped a ferry, the a bus and went to ground zero. It was first time I had been to NYC (only time actually). The size of the buildings in that area are absolutely staggering.
Didn't know exactly where to go so I just started walking. Through the buildings, I could see a huge open area. I thought it was a park and headed toward it.
It wasn't a park. IT was the 57 odd acre hole that was two huge and several smaller buildings. Now, just a really big hole. I circumnavigated the whole area and wound up on the side with the little fire department. It was then the enormity of it hit me. The fire department is literally on top of ground zero. I was looking at the faces of the fireman who had lost their friends/coworkers in that attack.
Have to say, I'm a pretty tough human being. I do 24 hour mountain bike races (solo), done unmedicated childbirth yada yada. And this brought me to my knees. My chest hurt so bad I thought I was going to explode. Wound up hopping over a little jersey barrier, sitting on the asphalt bawling my eyes out and calling up my daddy.
I live in Oregon. I watched the towers fall on TV. But going to the place, seeing that pit, is a whole different feeling. You'll be surrounded by people, some grifters, but mostly people who came to see this place - maybe to gain some closure. People from all over the world, not just America. And they show respect - even sadness. I didn't expect that.
angela
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My Aunt is a VP with Morgan Stanley and lost a lot of friends there. She was supposed to transfer to the WTC in Oct '01 from her office in Midtown.
I have a good friend who was born and raised in NYC and considers it his home even though he lives on the Island now. He is a retired cop and was there the next day doing whatever he could to help. He said he had to be there in order to keep his head straight. He could not stand by and watch.
We have avoided visiting NYC since 2001. Its going to be very difficult for me to be in the financial district and will be a very somber day. I was half waiting for the rebuilding to begin so I could feel ike maybe we were moving on. That empty hole is hard to deal with.
I found some pictures from July 2001, 2 months before the attack, I was up in the WTC with my wife and kids. I keep thining of the dialogue I had with my son after the WTC was destroyed. It was hard for him to comprehend why people would do such a thing.
If you had never been in the buildings or have seen them in person the immensity of them is staggering. Being up in them and looking down was amazing as well. For someone to choose to jump from there? It broke my heart.
