10 years ago I decided I needed to go into work early; something seemed important. On 9/11, I was scheduled to fly to San Francisco in the afternoon, but went into the office to try and catch up on a couple of things (in those days you could get to the airport at the very last minute).
I was one of two people in the office at the time. I remember Annie, our office manager coming in and telling me about the first plane (some stupid recreational pilot I thought); and then listening to KYW News radio when the second plane hit (oh shit.)
The rest of the day is a blur to me. I remember not wanting to fly that day, as if that were going to be an option. I remember that the Internet was useless, and that our only visual line to the world was little black and white 13″ TV which didn’t have cable.
We stayed at work that day – not that much work was done. I specifically remember spending a lot of time with my co-workers in that conference room.
I kind of wished I had just walked out and planted myself in front of a TV all day. Even without doing that, the images are seared in my mind to this day.
And while that day feels like it was just yesterday, so much has passed, so many lives have been lost, and so many questions still remain, that it also feels like another lifetime.
What are your memories of that day?
9/11/01 – I was preparing that morning to fly from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Listening this morning to the re-broadcasst of the news, the confusion of that morning comes right back. It’s weird that through all the warning signs (World Trade Center 1993 bombing, Oklahoma City, the Unabomber) that we really didn’t view ourselves as a target; 9/11 made us aware. Five years later it doesn’t seem as if we’ve addressed our problems.