OT: 20th anniversary of 9/11: Where were you on that day?

[JXL]

As all of NYC and the country pay their respects to what can be described as the day the country changed forever when the attack on Sept. 11th 2001 happened and the fall of the World Trade Center towers.

My day was during high school and it was during Math class when the principal announced on the speakers that a plane struck the WTC. Many of the students and teachers were concerned about what's happening, then about 20 minutes later the principal call off all classes for the day as a 2nd plane struck the other tower. I was trying to look it up on the news sites and saw video of the planes hitting the towers and the panic on the streets. I was watching the live feed as well as the news broadcast of the towers falling and I was in total shock. I didn't know what was going to happen next.

Many of my schoolmates were also in disbelief. We all thought this was some movie stunt, but we saw with our eyes on the screens that this truly happened. I didn't cry that day, but I was as stunned and disheartened for what had happened. That day will forever be in my mind as many lives were lost and those who survived can never be normal again. Even those who had to absorb the fumes of the wreckage were physically changed from this, some even died from it.

September 11th 2001 should also be in your minds as well, so I ask, where were you on this day when the world changed?

[Jeff Van Gully]

i lived in harlem and went to st. john's at the time. lots of mornings i'd be at the manhattan campus down by the world trade. it was an election day, so i was working the polls for a little extra cash instead. what else would a teenager be doing, right?

i remember how still and beautiful the air was that morning. we weren't allowed TV, radio, or any kind of communication on the poll site. so we had no idea what was going on until voters started coming in and saying, "hey, a plane flew into one of the twin towers." **** like that. when the word of the second plane got inside, our foreperson said fug it and turned on 1010 WINS. maybe a half hour after we realized what had happened, the site closed and we were all sent home.

my poll site was the 92nd street Y. so i walked up lexington back toward harlem in the masses. after a while i saw a bus and he was just letting people on to get away. i got home and turned on the TV. my phone was ringing off the hook from all my friends and fam from out of town. one by one i told them i was OK. i still lived with my mom and brother at the time. my brother was at school (brandeis HS) if i recall correctly. and my mom was at work. we waited for mom to get home. this was before most people had cell phones, so she had already left work for home by the time i got back. also, if you did have a cell phone it probably wasn't working well in manhattan.

my mom worked at the world trade at the time of the first bombing. so all of those memories came back too. phone lines went down that first time, so we once again didn't know she was OK until she got home. this time she was coming from uptown, so i was a little less nervous. i did think about my friends who lived in the financial district. i knew people at BMCC. stuyvesant. it was really sad.

i was so very lucky that none of my direct loved ones was lost. but so many of my friends lost someone. it felt like everyone in the city was no more than 1 degree of separation away from death.

the worst part of it all for me was the smell. i still remember the smell. the ominous visible cloud and the chaos was one thing. but the way the air smelled for the next couple of days in manhattan... just awful.

[The Lamma]

Was working Rice's flea market in New Hope, Pa. Tons of money in that area, and women love to shop, so that place was always friggin loaded with hotties. All of a sudden we heard the news and everything just stopped. No buying, no selling. People really just stopped doing anything other than talking to each other. At first, it seemed like it could have been an accident, then you heard about the second one getting hit, then we knew. Everyone was dumbfounded. And wondering just how much our world was going to change.

[Marty McFly]

late as **** for school. I watched the 2nd tower fall from my bedroom window in chinatown.

[DOT]

Kindergarten

Only have vague memories cause I was like 4, but I do remember coming home and seeing it on tv.

[NYKnickerbocker]

I was 7. I remember seeing a lot of teachers running back and fourth in the hallway then slowly students started getting sent home. When my parents finally came I remember seeing the smoke from the towers on the LIE headed home. Had a close family friend who was in the tower and fortunately got out. Still deals with health issues due to all the smoke and dust she breathed in. Didn’t really know what was going on until the next day tho. Parents didn’t tell me. Thought I was just going home early and started playing video games

[KnicksGadfly]

Middle school. Remember my science teacher stopping class and reading a book to us. We had no idea how bad it was...he just kept reading that book, maybe to keep himself composed but maybe to protect us. They eventually let us out and we saw how bad it was when there was a massive hole in the sky where the Towers used to be. All the subways were down so I had to walk 70ish streets to get home. Worried as hell because I had no way to contact my parents.

[Im Coming Home]

I was in my 4th grade class, on Long Island.

My school started around 9:30 so I remember seeing the news about "something" hitting the twin towers, early speculation was a small plane or a helicopter. I went to school and kids were slowly being taken out of class. I remember kids crying and worried. I think I went home regular time since my parents were also at work. Came home to see that the towers fell and see the scenes of the rubble, etc.

I remember for the next week or so I slept in my parents bed with them because I had an irrational fear that the terrorists were going to break into my home and kill me and my family. I believe it was after they showed Osama Bin Laden's face on TV and, made me think he was specifically going to come to my house and kill me, for whatever reason my 4th grader brain had this fear.

[Jstock12]

Much like in NYC, it was a beautiful sunny day here in Lithuania too. The planes have struck around the time I came back home from the elementary school here and I still remember the non-stop live coverage of it on all Lithuanian TV channels. It was a pretty surreal experience even halfway around the world.

[thebuzzardman]

I worked at JPMorgan at 60 Wall street, basically about 4 blocks away. Used to go over to WTC when I could take a long lunch with the GF, now wife. Worked next door to the WTC a couple of years before at 1 BT plaza. That company had some staff in 5 WTC, so we had to go in there at times. Also did jobs in 1 and 2 about 10 years earlier - labor stuff then, so only in there here and there. Used to get lunch in the lower level plaza when working next door.

When I worked at 1 BT Plaza, I used to go outside for my co-worker's smoke breaks. Really funny guy, in a calm, sweet way. Pakistani guy. He had a really long first name, so he told everyone "Call me AC"
Anyway, we had a boss who was a really wound up younger guy. Just extra serious. Not that he had to be. So, one day, in the shadow of the towers, AC goes to me "You know who screws things every time? Fundamentalists. Everywhere you look in the world where there is a problem, you'll find a fundamentalist. Muslim, Christian, Communist, whatever. Wherever things are crazy and bad, look and you find the fundamentalists"
Pretty crazy to have that talk in the shadow of the towers in 1999.

I was working on projects when at 60W so I could set my schedule, to a degree, so I decided to go in late that day. I took the LIRR because there was a stop really close to our apartment in Queens. When I got to Penn Station, I wondered why so many people were crowded around that TV that was outside one of those bars in the station. Why was it taking so long for the downtown 1 train to come? Then on the 1 train, heard that a plane had hit one of the towers, overheard a passenger talking. I figured it was a cessna. Then another passenger said "No, another plane hit the 2nd tower". Now, I try hard not to judge or profile anyone, but I look down and I'm sitting in front of a middle eastern guy, youngish, and he's got two HUGE bags at his legs, with bags of pitas on top. Obviously groceries. But I'm thinking "Great, I'm sitting right in front of the suicide bomber who's going to do the 3rd act of the day and set these bombs off in this crowded subway car". I just calmed my ass down and told myself he's just some random guy who was grocery shopping, which he was.

The train was moving really slowly, then stopped in the tunnel before Canal street. Then it turned around, went backwards, stopped and told everyone to get off the train, at the local stop at 8th street near St Vincents. I got out and looked down the avenue and there was smoke everywhere and smoke rising into the sky. I figured it was the Twin Towers on fire. I said to a middle aged lady next to me "The towers are on fire?" and she said "I don't think you realize the angle you are looking at them. They've fallen down"

I thought about what do, figured I start walking the mile down to Wall street, got about halfway there, started encountering the "ash people" and just stopped and found somewhere to sit. I run into 2 young guys, totally wide eyed and humming from adrenaline. They told me "Dude, that plane hit the building like JUST above us!"

No cell service, hard to find a pay phone that worked, wasn't able to reach the wife who was on maternity leave with our first kid, our son, who was 1 month old. She was flipping out, of course, until she got a hold of me. I found the only coffee shop open in the Village and sat and drank coffee, figuring transportation would be f*cked. Walked to Penn Station later just as they were pulling down these gates and wound up in the crowd pressing up against them, but like one person away from getting into the station. "Great, I'll get crushed by these **** today instead". Cops weren't letting anyone in. Some super aggressive trader/broker type guy somehow buffaloed the cop into letting him into the station and I got in right behind him and got in also! And by pure luck, the train that went by my apartment in Queens was running and was leaving in 5 minutes. Got in it and was home in 20 minutes, probably by 2 pm.

Another old friend, husband was a firefighter and he worked the pile a LOT after 9/11 and his health is COMPLETELY f*cked. Breathing problems, skin issues, riddled with tumors, you name it. So completely, obviously related to 9/11. God bless Jon Stewart for SHAMING the government into taking care of these guys. Because they weren't doing it, initially.

Lost a few old friends from the neighborhood. One guy who was apparently a beloved math HS teacher but then I guess took some kind of math geek/quant job for some investment bank type firm that was on the upper floors. I forget which one now. I don't think it was Aon or whatever that company was that took a big hit there like Marsh McLennan. Guy who was the kid brother of a girl classmate killed as a firefighter.

[duetta]

I was at home in Jackson Heights (where I operated a consulting business) watching Squak Box on CNBC, when the report of the first plane hit. They speculated on what might have been the cause until the second plane suddenly hit the second tower - and then we all knew that something very evil was afoot.

I stayed indoors most of the day, in shock like everyone else. The events of 9/11 would eventually turn me into a political activist and occasional writer - staking out a philosophical position that I would call the Human Potential Left, a position on the political spectrum where common sense and cosmic sense came together.

[Clyde_Style]

I lived in a factory loft in downtown Jersey City. I was getting ready to leave to take the morning PATH train from Jersey City when I did something I had never done before. I turned on 1010WINS radio before going to work. Intuition made me do it. They said the the North tower was on fire. I stuck my head out the window and saw the smoke. I called work and said I'm not coming in, something was up. I went back to the window and a minute later saw the South tower explode. I was in shock for 30 seconds and could not compute what had just happened and then I realized it was a coordinated attack.

My building gathered on the roof and watched. We were on the waterfront directly facing the WTC so we had the bleacher seats. The weather was perfect blue skies. And the wind was blowing everything into Brooklyn so we watched all day and into the night. There was a vigil with candles on the roof and we prayed for the fallen. I swore I could feel their souls floating around us.

[FrozenEnvelope]

My story is boring but I guess it's better that way. I actually slept through all of the attack 20 years ago. Tuesday's were the one day I did not have work or school and went to bed really late the night before after hanging with some friends watching MNF Giants vs Broncos. I was a stupid 19 year old and would turn off my phone so nobody would call and wake up but when I finally woke up a little after 11am and turned on my phone, I had tons of missed calls and text massages from family and friends. I turned on the TV and couldn't believe what happened. Thankfully I did not lose anyone that day but I remember feeling really REALLY angry and sad.

Still am. I've been watching a ton of documentaries this week and the one thing that I cannot get out of my head is how those poor victims jumped to their deaths. I cannot begin to imagine their fear and desperation that they would jump from a 100th story building. That **** gets to me and I'm trying to immediately think of something else when those thoughts creep in.

[ophdog]

I was away at college upstate. I remember watching my home being attacked and feeling guilty and completely scared. This one of those events that changed NY forever. I vividly remember that period of time until I knew my step mom was ok feeling like an eternity. This was obviously a traumatic thing for the country but for those of us born and raised New Yorkers life changed forever. I felt at the time this was the beginning that we had a new way of life of New York being a target. Today is for some reason the most difficult anniversary and I know for me it pales in Comparison to the people that lost loved ones. If you know someone affected by loss reach out to them and let them know you care

[delvec19]

High school sophomore walking into Science class and one of the teachers had the news/footage of the crash into the first tower. Our principal called an emergency assembly of the whole school and told us exactly what he thought was happening at the time with tears in his eyes. My friend and I called our parents and wanted to get out of school, everyone was in a frenzy. We were in NJ and could see the smoke coming from the towers. Watched the news the rest of the day with my family in disbelief. Still can't believe it to this day.

[Knicks Byke]

I was coming home from SOHO and got stuck in the freaking subway for hours. Rolled up a spliff and smoked it in the train

Had no idea what was happening at the time.

[GettinitDone]

Night time in Malaysia, student in dorm, we went out for dinner, we sat down and we saw everyone's attention was transfixed on the big TV, I saw the screen with building on fire, thought it must be a real good movie, but why is everyone really watching with serious face though, like if it's just a movie usually you'd have just few people really watching... but most would still have been smoking, drinking, eating their foods. This is total silence, everyone not eating their foods, or not drinking their drinks on their tables. Then I saw "America Under Attack". I don't remember the rest, but it's like you can't fathom it's real.

[Phish Tank]

Middle school, out in NJ. I remember PA announcements throughout the day, but don't vividly remember whether they explicitly mentioned the attacks. They just mentioned something bad happened. I know they were trying to reach parents because a lot of people in our area commute to NYC for work. Many got back - and some heroically escaped the Towers - but we did lose 4 people in the community. I remember it being a sigh of relief for the principal and administrators when parents came to pick up their kids from the school and the bus stops. Was just too surreal of a moment..... couldn't even put it into words.

[thebuzzardman]

I was coming home from SOHO and got stuck in the freaking subway for hours. Rolled up a spliff and smoked it in the train

Had no idea what was happening at the time.

Best 9/11 story yet.

Other than the other project manager I worked with who stated "After the towers fell, I hit the street looking for a girl to have 'survivor sex' with", and he claims was successful in this endeavor. He was a total horn dog with an A+ game from the times I hung out with him, so I'll assume this is true. Also, he just enough of that whiff of amoral anti-social behavior about him that made it seem likely as well. Good traits to have working for an investment bank.

[JXL]

I was coming home from SOHO and got stuck in the freaking subway for hours. Rolled up a spliff and smoked it in the train

Had no idea what was happening at the time.

Best 9/11 story yet.

Other than the other project manager I worked with who stated "After the towers fell, I hit the street looking for a girl to have 'survivor sex' with", and he claims was successful in this endeavor. He was a total horn dog with an A+ game from the times I hung out with him, so I'll assume this is true. Also, he just enough of that whiff of amoral anti-social behavior about him that made it seem likely as well. Good traits to have working for an investment bank.

Is his last name Stintson?