Visiting NYC

Date Submitted: 08/30/2002
Author Info: Miguel (Mexico, MX, Mexico) 
Occupation: Accounting/Finance
Lived in NY on 9.11.01?: No
Knew someone who perished?: No

I can’t believe that in few days will be the first anniversary of the terrorist attack in new york. The day that I called “the worst day in my life”.

I was visiting New York because of my job I had a meeting on tuesday sep 11 at 79th floor of the One World Trade Center Tower (also known as “North Tower”) at 9:00 a.m. Fortunately, the people who I supposed to meet, only a few hours before I left my home (located in Mexico) called and told “Do you have any objection if we change the meeting the night before” (it means sep 10 at 8:00 p.m.), I said, “no problem, i’ll be in New York the whole week, taking advantage the trip, to visit my my girlfriends sister and visiting NYC, so, it’s fine see you on monday”.

I arrived to New York on friday 7 at night, of course I visited the Statue of liberty, Central Park, The Metropolitan Museum and the Empire State, among other interesting places in the city that never sleeps. On monday, the night before the attack i went to my meeting, I also went to the “Windows of the sky” the restaurant at the top of the WTC for a couple of drinks with my girlfriends sister.

Few hours later, while i was trying to take the subway (at 77th street and Lexington) to go to the Century 21st, a store located just in front of where the twin towers used to be, the guy from the subway told that there was no train and it wont be in at least 2 hours, so I decided to go by bus (i didn’t know yet)

I walked to the fifth avenue and took a bus directly to the south of the island, when we arrived to the CBS, at the corner of Central Park and in front the famous hotel “The Plaza” the people who were with me at the bus, rapidly turn to the left to watch the Screen outside the CBS. In that moment I got confused and all freak me out. I went to the front of the bus and i saw one of the towers burning, suddenly i saw when one the towers collapsed (that is without a doubt the worst thing I ever seen. This image, I cant take it out of my mind).

In that moment, i decided to get down of the bus, and walk (few blocks away rockefeller center), when i remebered that my girlfriends sister worked near there (in times square), so, when i got to times square, i saw all the people who work around there, in the street, watching the screen outside the ABC and the NASDAQ.

After a while dumbfounded, I remembered that i had to let my girlfriend, her sister and my parents know that i was fine, besides my girlfriends sister knows that i had planned to go to Century 21st, and she would be worried about me, so, i tried to called her, but it took me around an hour, to get to the phone, because there were lines formed by 10 o 15 people (making more than 4 calls each one of them), but i couldnt reach her, so i called my girlfriend in Mexico at her job, and she felt incredibly good knowing about I was fine and far away from WTC, but she still worried, because she as the rest of the world didnt know what were happening in that moment in New York, finally i told her she wouldnt be worried about me of her sister, because we will be together all the time. She took care of let my parents know that i was fine and talk to her sister, to tell her the same.

I dont know how to relate the rest of the day (and the week), the big apple was in chaos, NYC was completly freaked out, the people were walking to their homes, always looking back, and watching instead the Twin Towers a big endless gray fog tower, everybody in the street, just like me, couldnt belive what happened, it seems like a bad dream, worst of it “A REAL NIGHTMARE”.

God bless the world, and all the innocents who died or lost someone loved on Sep 11, 2001.

I won’t forget day day, ever.

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