I remember it like it was yesterday. I was at work and on the phone with a client in TX who worked from home. She had her t.v. on and she told me she was looking at a report that a plane had just hit one of the Twin Towers. We speculated back and forth - a small plane? - a big passenger plane? No one knew that early, as it had just happened. My office was across the hall from the kitchen/break room and there is a t.v. in there. After I got off the phone with her, I went over and turned the t.v. on and saw it all unfolding. People started streaming in to see what was happening also, since they were learning of it thru phone conversations, or their computers. Not much work got done in the office that day.
I had two sales reps from the company that lived in that area - one in NY and one in north Jersey. The one in NY - his wife worked in that vicinity, and the one in NJ - his fiance was scheduled to be right there at GZ for a meeting. I also had a friend who had visitors from out of state, that were taking a day trip to NYC that day, to see all the sights. All of these people went thru a living hell for hours and hours, not knowing if their family and friends were dead or alive, since all communication failed - even cell phones. It wasn't until later that day when they found out that they were safe. I can't imagine going thru any kind of mental torture such as that.
All of those horrible pictures of the towers, all the destruction, the people running thru the streets covered in ash and dust, and so many more - those are images I have never been able to get out of my head.
I haven't been back to NYC since then. I used to take the train up with friends occasionally, for shopping or a show. The first thing I would see of NYC from across the river, was the WTC - it was a beautiful sight to see. Now it's gone..........