Today brings out sad memories in me. Back 2001, I lived just across the George Washington Bridge from New York City. (I have since moved to Central Jersey.) Of course, I would cross the bridge frequently, especially going to Manhattan, JFK, and Yankee Games. Every time I did, I look south to downtown Manhattan, looking at the Towers. The Towers were easily recognizable, since there was no building around them in Lower Manhattan of that size. (The closest was just over 60 stories.) When landing at Newark Airport, I would look east to the Towers. I have been at World Trade Plaza many times. I have been to 'Windows of the World' Restaurant. One rememberable time, I reenacted a scene from the rememberable "Simpson" episode, "The City of New York versus Homer", where Homer tries to reach out from his car, illegally parked in the Plaza, to a pizza store across the street. The World Trade Center was in many films, like "Trading Places" or Disney's "Oliver & Company".
I remember 2001 quite well. I was picking up a friend to drive to class. While pulling out of his driveway, his father came running out to the car, telling us that an airplane hit the World Trade Center. (Note: My father was supposed to have a meeting at the World Trade Center later in that week.) I turned to 1010 WINS (a twenty-four hour news station in New York.) Originally, I thought a Sesna hit the towers until the newscasters describe the scene. September 11, 2001 was a clear day...there wasn't a cloud in the sky, except for the black smoke coming from Lower Manhattan. On the way to class, my friend told me he saw the smoke. The 1010 WINS broadcasters are highly professional. However, one of them was caught swearing as the second plane hit the South Tower. We got to school as reports of the Pentagon started to surface. I had class in the TV studio, but everyone in class had their eyes tuned in the TV monitors in the studio. Everyone witnessed the collapse of both Towers on those monitors. Immediately, you felt concern for the lives of thousands of people you never meet before, including those of the hundreds of NYPD and NYFD personel, who did their best to save lives. Needless to say, it was a sad and scary day. On top of that, a person wondered what else will be hit by terrorist that day.
That was seven years ago. Almost 3,000 people died at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon in Arlington, VA, and United 93, which went from Newark International Airport in New Jersey and crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. That's the broad statistic. However, I had family working in that area of New York City, who often went to the World Trade Center including my father. Most of that day, I tried to take account of where they were. No one in my family was hurt.
I have mentioned Newark International Airport (which has since been renamed Newark-Liberty International Airport) twice in this post. I fly out of that airport often. In March 2001, I flew out of Newark to Los Angeles. It's a sombering thought knowing that one of the planes hijacked came from that airport.
Today, we should remember and honor the near 3000, who passed away.
The animated World Trade Center
