story3273.xml

story3273.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I was taking my 2 year-old son to get his morning muffin. When we came back to our apartment building, our doorman told us that an airplane hit the World Trade Center. I remember vividly thinking what idiot hit the tower? When we went up to our apartment, we learned that it was a commercial jet when I was thinking it was a private plane flown by an inexperienced pilot. Then when I witnessed the second jet hitting the other tower, I said wow, who got that on film? I thought it was a replay of the first jet hitting. It was too hard to fathom that a second jet was allowed to be near the towers after the first one hit!
That day, I had plans to go to my husband's office to introduce our 3 month-old daughter to everyone. His office is in midtown and he called to tell me not to come. I told him to come home & he said the government has said to stay where you are. I told him I don't care what the government says come home to your family! He did & that afternoon we went to Central Park because our 2 year-old needed to get out and play. It was surreal. Almost no one on the streets or in the park. Then one of the airforce jets went overhead. We all bent down & looked up. It was terrifying thinking someone else was coming again with a jet. That evening, we learned that the little boy nextdoor's father was missing. Also that a neighborhood friend of my husband was missing. Both worked for Cantor Fitzgerald. It was a horrible day that will never be forgotten.