originally posted on bleeding.
*******
I just got home. Everyone I know is okay. Chris's
(Craig's bf) mother works on the 90th-something floor
of the World Trade Center, but she took the day off.
I saw just about everything. Here is how my day went
down:
I usually get to work at 10am, but today I was on
schedule to get in at 9. I work at the corner of
Broadway and Wall Street, about 5-6 blocks from the
World Trade Center. Sometimes I get off at the subway
stop before so I can have a cigarette and walk for a
few minutes. So I got off at the Fulton Street
station, which is about a block and a half south of
the World Trade Center. I was at the end of the
platform and it was business as usual. As I got to
the turnstyles, I noticed that the lobby was packed.
I heard someone say, word for word, "I don't want to
go up there, all I hear is screaming." Then I heard
someone say, "The World Trade Center just blew up,"
which sounded ridiculous.
I walked up the stairs and before I had even reached
the top, the Towers were visible. About ten floors
were burning. It sounds cliche, but it didn't seem
real. It seemed like time had stopped. Then I heard
a simultaneous "Oh my god," from the crowd and I
watched a flailing body fall from the building almost
in slow motion. I thought they would never hit the
ground because the whole thing seemed so unreal. But
I also knew that, for whoever that it was, it was the
end. I saw the body hit the ground and dust flew up.
That image will stay with me for the rest of my life.
It was quiet and noisy at the same time. I then
watched 5 more people fall from the tower, about one
every 30 seconds. Every other person was crying.
And then the second tower lit up. I hadn't moved. I
felt the heat. I saw large unidentifiable objects fly
into the air. The whole street pushed back on me and
ran the other way. I really could not convince myself
that it was actually happening. I didn't even move
very fast because it still didn't seem dangerous.
I was trying to call my client because I was coming
into work to do something for them, but all cell lines
were tied. So I went into work. About 1/3 of the
people were there. Half of them were crying.
Everyone was gathered around a radio. I quickly did
the work I had to do for my client and then I didn't
feel like being inside anymore. I felt the horror but
I also felt awe and I wanted to watch it. So I went
outside for a cigarette.
I walked down Broadway, toward the towers. The
streets were packed, everyone looking upward. This
time I wasn't as close as before. I was about 3
blocks away, which still isn't very far. I stood
there with everyone else and watched it burn. I saw
another person fall, this time from the second
building. That made seven. Someone next to me began
talking about the possibility of the World Trade
Center collapsing, but it didn't seem likely to me.
Each building had about 10-15 floors on fire, but they
were high up and the structure is supposed to be
strong. I watched for 10 more minutes and at this
point it seemed like the worst was over so I went back
to work.
In my office, they were taking attendance so I marked
my name down. I went to my desk to make a phone call.
A lot of people were still crying. They were
gathered at the window, where you could get a pretty
clear view of the Towers. I heard a boom. Everyone
screamed. Someone yelled, "Get away from the
windows," and "Get down on the floor!" I thought that
bombs were planted everywhere around Wall Street. I
initially thought that our building had blown up. Or
the American Stock Exchange, which is across the
street. Curiosity kept getting the best of me, so I
made for the window. When I looked out, all I saw was
brown smoke and then it turned black. Every window
was black. The building was evacuating and sirens
were going off.
We all rushed to the stairs. People were seriously
panicing and yelling that we have to get out and
pushing. We're on the 10th floor. By the time I got
to the third, there was dust everywhere. I had to
pull a shirt from my backpack and put it over my
mouth.
I walked outside and it looked like winter. The sky
was black. There was 6 inches of soot on the ground
and we were in an alley. It looked like it was
snowing. Exactly like that. The streets were packed
and it was snowing. Everyone was going south and
east. I was just as worried about getting hit by a
car because they were driving on the wrong side of the
street, ignoring traffic lights, and speeding whenever
they found a strip of open road.
It was a mass migration. My hair was gray with soot.
I saw businessmen in suits, covered head-to-toe in
dust. It took me about 45 minutes to walk home. I
saw people gathered around TVs. People crying.
Ambulances and cops everywhere. People collapsed on
the street and paramedics leaning over them.
Everytime I turned around to look back toward Wall
Street, I saw a few buildings in the foreground and
nothing but smoke behind it. And now I'm home.
I wanted to get that down and I thought you guys might
want to hear it. If the descriptions seem indulgent,
it's because that was hands-down the most vivid thing
I've seen in my life.
Peace.
=====
Scott
*******
I just got home. Everyone I know is okay. Chris's
(Craig's bf) mother works on the 90th-something floor
of the World Trade Center, but she took the day off.
I saw just about everything. Here is how my day went
down:
I usually get to work at 10am, but today I was on
schedule to get in at 9. I work at the corner of
Broadway and Wall Street, about 5-6 blocks from the
World Trade Center. Sometimes I get off at the subway
stop before so I can have a cigarette and walk for a
few minutes. So I got off at the Fulton Street
station, which is about a block and a half south of
the World Trade Center. I was at the end of the
platform and it was business as usual. As I got to
the turnstyles, I noticed that the lobby was packed.
I heard someone say, word for word, "I don't want to
go up there, all I hear is screaming." Then I heard
someone say, "The World Trade Center just blew up,"
which sounded ridiculous.
I walked up the stairs and before I had even reached
the top, the Towers were visible. About ten floors
were burning. It sounds cliche, but it didn't seem
real. It seemed like time had stopped. Then I heard
a simultaneous "Oh my god," from the crowd and I
watched a flailing body fall from the building almost
in slow motion. I thought they would never hit the
ground because the whole thing seemed so unreal. But
I also knew that, for whoever that it was, it was the
end. I saw the body hit the ground and dust flew up.
That image will stay with me for the rest of my life.
It was quiet and noisy at the same time. I then
watched 5 more people fall from the tower, about one
every 30 seconds. Every other person was crying.
And then the second tower lit up. I hadn't moved. I
felt the heat. I saw large unidentifiable objects fly
into the air. The whole street pushed back on me and
ran the other way. I really could not convince myself
that it was actually happening. I didn't even move
very fast because it still didn't seem dangerous.
I was trying to call my client because I was coming
into work to do something for them, but all cell lines
were tied. So I went into work. About 1/3 of the
people were there. Half of them were crying.
Everyone was gathered around a radio. I quickly did
the work I had to do for my client and then I didn't
feel like being inside anymore. I felt the horror but
I also felt awe and I wanted to watch it. So I went
outside for a cigarette.
I walked down Broadway, toward the towers. The
streets were packed, everyone looking upward. This
time I wasn't as close as before. I was about 3
blocks away, which still isn't very far. I stood
there with everyone else and watched it burn. I saw
another person fall, this time from the second
building. That made seven. Someone next to me began
talking about the possibility of the World Trade
Center collapsing, but it didn't seem likely to me.
Each building had about 10-15 floors on fire, but they
were high up and the structure is supposed to be
strong. I watched for 10 more minutes and at this
point it seemed like the worst was over so I went back
to work.
In my office, they were taking attendance so I marked
my name down. I went to my desk to make a phone call.
A lot of people were still crying. They were
gathered at the window, where you could get a pretty
clear view of the Towers. I heard a boom. Everyone
screamed. Someone yelled, "Get away from the
windows," and "Get down on the floor!" I thought that
bombs were planted everywhere around Wall Street. I
initially thought that our building had blown up. Or
the American Stock Exchange, which is across the
street. Curiosity kept getting the best of me, so I
made for the window. When I looked out, all I saw was
brown smoke and then it turned black. Every window
was black. The building was evacuating and sirens
were going off.
We all rushed to the stairs. People were seriously
panicing and yelling that we have to get out and
pushing. We're on the 10th floor. By the time I got
to the third, there was dust everywhere. I had to
pull a shirt from my backpack and put it over my
mouth.
I walked outside and it looked like winter. The sky
was black. There was 6 inches of soot on the ground
and we were in an alley. It looked like it was
snowing. Exactly like that. The streets were packed
and it was snowing. Everyone was going south and
east. I was just as worried about getting hit by a
car because they were driving on the wrong side of the
street, ignoring traffic lights, and speeding whenever
they found a strip of open road.
It was a mass migration. My hair was gray with soot.
I saw businessmen in suits, covered head-to-toe in
dust. It took me about 45 minutes to walk home. I
saw people gathered around TVs. People crying.
Ambulances and cops everywhere. People collapsed on
the street and paramedics leaning over them.
Everytime I turned around to look back toward Wall
Street, I saw a few buildings in the foreground and
nothing but smoke behind it. And now I'm home.
I wanted to get that down and I thought you guys might
want to hear it. If the descriptions seem indulgent,
it's because that was hands-down the most vivid thing
I've seen in my life.
Peace.
=====
Scott
