story95.xml
Title
story95.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-02-28
911DA Story: Story
I was on the last week of my maternity leave. My mom, sister, and two-month-old daughter were enjoying a quiet, post-Labor Day vacation at Virginia Beach. We had just come in from breakfast, and my mom and sister went out to walk the beach. I sat down to feed my baby when the phone rang. My brother called to tell me to turn on the TV. The first plane had just hit.
I watched for a few minutes until the second plane hit, and realized it wasn't an accident. I ran out to the boardwalk, with my sleeping baby wrapped up in a blanket, frantically looking for my mom. I told three or four people on the boardwalk... and interestingly enough, none of them seemed particularly concerned or even upset. My sister, who had ducked into the hotel room looking for me, came running out crying "What is that? What is that?" I told her quickly what had happened, and she ran out onto the beach to get my mom.
We watched the towers burning, until the TV coverage switched to a burning picture of the Pentagon. We all started screaming. My mom, dad, stepmom, and father-in-law all work in Washington, DC - my father-in-law even working in the Pentagon. We spent most of the morning calling everyone frantically, getting my mom's co-workers out of DC, making sure my father-in-law was home safe. I must have called my husband ten times to just know he was okay (even though we live in a small town four hours from DC.) I used to live in New York City, so I called everyone I knew to make sure they were safe.
We watched the rest of the days events, sitting on the floor in a fog. Thankfully, the baby slept for most of the day. Later in that afternoon, we watched ships leaving Norfolk/Hampton Roads Naval Base, heading out to sea to New York harbor.
Due to the proximity of Oceana Air Base, the entire shoreside area was locked down, and the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel was shut down to traffic. We ended up staying another day at the beach.
I've said now that I'm glad I was away from work and home on that day. Although being away from my husband was terrifying, I'm now glad I can separate the place and time from my "everyday" life. However, it made the day even more surreal.
When I lived in NYC, the World Trade Center buildings could be easily seen from my Brooklyn apartment kitchen window. I saw them everyday. I love the city, but it will take me a while to want to go back.
I watched for a few minutes until the second plane hit, and realized it wasn't an accident. I ran out to the boardwalk, with my sleeping baby wrapped up in a blanket, frantically looking for my mom. I told three or four people on the boardwalk... and interestingly enough, none of them seemed particularly concerned or even upset. My sister, who had ducked into the hotel room looking for me, came running out crying "What is that? What is that?" I told her quickly what had happened, and she ran out onto the beach to get my mom.
We watched the towers burning, until the TV coverage switched to a burning picture of the Pentagon. We all started screaming. My mom, dad, stepmom, and father-in-law all work in Washington, DC - my father-in-law even working in the Pentagon. We spent most of the morning calling everyone frantically, getting my mom's co-workers out of DC, making sure my father-in-law was home safe. I must have called my husband ten times to just know he was okay (even though we live in a small town four hours from DC.) I used to live in New York City, so I called everyone I knew to make sure they were safe.
We watched the rest of the days events, sitting on the floor in a fog. Thankfully, the baby slept for most of the day. Later in that afternoon, we watched ships leaving Norfolk/Hampton Roads Naval Base, heading out to sea to New York harbor.
Due to the proximity of Oceana Air Base, the entire shoreside area was locked down, and the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel was shut down to traffic. We ended up staying another day at the beach.
I've said now that I'm glad I was away from work and home on that day. Although being away from my husband was terrifying, I'm now glad I can separate the place and time from my "everyday" life. However, it made the day even more surreal.
When I lived in NYC, the World Trade Center buildings could be easily seen from my Brooklyn apartment kitchen window. I saw them everyday. I love the city, but it will take me a while to want to go back.
Collection
Citation
“story95.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 14, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/17530.