Helen Simpkin, whose sister Jane died on United flight 175 on September 11, reads her sister's poem entitled Why I Hate Dan Rather. Jane wrote it before September 11, but Helen now finds her sister's words painfully timely.
Gary Shelber, a native New Yorker who now lives in San Diego, recalls being stuck in a traffic jam on September 11. He is reluctant to revisit his former home, now without the WTC. He reads a poem he wrote about 9/11.
Lydia Robertson's mother, Valerie Hanna, worked on the 97th floor of 1 WTC and was one of the victims of 9/11. Lydia talks about her mother's life--she had 40 foster children and was a senior vice president at Marsh & McLennan Technology.
The agent for the Latin band Son Boricua, talks about taking pride in the towers. The group played at the WTC; their song Boricua Blues was written for the WTC before 9/11.
Builder Joe Jocks's granddaughter Lynn Beauvais remembers Cane's Corner, where the Mohawk ironworkers would gather in the early 1960s. Her grandfather talked to her about working on the world's largest buildings, what it was like to be in New York.
Kahnawake Mohawk Lynn Beauvais of Quebec talks about the members of the Kahnawake nation who built many buildings in NYC, including the WTC, and who also volunteered at Ground Zero.
James Pedersen, who lives two blocks south of Ground Zero, was engulfed in a dust cloud on 9/11 as he tried to leave the area. He remembers choking, the scream of his cat he had put in his backpack, and the neighbors running and screaming.
Radio producer Ginger Miles, who lives next to Ground Zero, has been making an audio diary. She talks about the confusion of reporting and experiencing the event.
With funding from the New York Council for Humanities.
Californian Victoria Slind-Flor recalls a 1992 trip to New York with her late husband, who had AIDS. They saw Philip Glass's opera, The Voyage, at the Met and then went to the WTC. It was a profound experience for both of them, and helped them come…
Patrick, a native of Queens, recalls being a student and seeing the view of the Towers across the river. After he grew up, he was called to work at the WTC. He remembers that his toolcase had to be sniffed by a police dog on the way in.
Former downtown office worker Richard Penberthy remembers the fruit vendors at the WTC farmers market, the bustle of the annual orchid show, and the sound of drivers honking at the corner of Church Street.
Fred Abt, the former owner of Derf Radio on Hudson Street, knew merchants on Radio Row. He moved when the WTC was built, but his sons, Alan and Daniel, still have a business in New Rochelle.