story2169.xml

story2169.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

At 7:30 a.m., my husband Dave & I and our dog headed to NJ to spend my birthday at the shore. It was so beautiful. As we headed South on the NY Thruway, we noticed an odd occurence. A plane passed by overhead which was unusual since it wasn't a flight path normally. We didn't think anything else however as the plane disappeared from sight.

At 8:40 we were driving south on Route 17 in Mahwah NJ - and shortly thereafter saw the Manhattan skyline. As we always did at that point, we commented on how it looked like we were headed toward the Emerald City. Without realizing it - we were seeing the Towers just as the first plane hit but we were too far away to see anything specific. At about 3 minutes to 9, we entered the Barnes & Noble Bookstore on 17. We browsed and had a cup of coffee and made our purchases. By 10:20 we were at New Jersey Institute of Technology - to see our son Justin. He came out of his dorm to greet us and then soon numerous students came pouring out saying that the Towers had been bombed and were collapsing. At first we thought they were being terribly tacky and Justin thought they were engaged in pledge week pranks. I had gone into the building and seen the broadcast of the towers going down on the student lounge T.V. And then - everyone headed toward the parking garage across the street and we followed. From the roof - we watched the smoke and ashe and souls rise from the city across the bay.
The campus police had us all leave the roof as no one knew what else would happend and where. No one knew at that point the extent of the destruction.
Justin decided to stay at school so Dave & I headed to my parent's house in Aberdeen NJ - Monmouth County. My father, who had planned to go to the city that day never made it. He had planned on taking a late bus - one leaving after 9 a.m. However, once having heard the news, he knew he wouldn't be going in any time soon. We stayed w/them for awhile and I called other family members who lived or worked in the city. One brother was on a business trip although he works a block from the Tower site. I found out later my other brother Joe was at the site almost immediately and worked for a couple of days on rescue/recovery. I wanted to go as my husband and I are both ministers but since it was my birthday - and since he felt we couldn't do anything, Dave insisted we stay in NJ. We went to the shore - had lunch at a small restaurant near Sandy Hook. We could see people who obviously had made their way back from the city - riding on the back of trucks, jackets slung over their shoulders. We could hear people talk about how they hadn't made it to the city for one reason or another that day and what that felt like. We realized we could have just as easily decided we were going to go to NY for the day as to the shore. We spent the next few hours at Sea Bright beach along w/a number of others who were there to pray, meditate, be w/others but alone - all looking north at the continued cloud of horror.
On the way home, we stopped to see friends and then we drove back north. The weird thing that finally made it sink in was being waved through the toll booths on the G.S.P. We finally made it home but I don't even remember going to sleep. I do remember us talking about the possibility of me knowing someone who had been hurt or killed since I had grown up in Monmouth County. It turns out that I knew a man who had been on Flight 93. That was heart breaking even though it had been a while since I had seen him.
It also turned out that the plane that had passed overhead the day before was the first plane to hit the North Tower.
I am writing this now since I can't sleep. I have much to do tomorrow but almost wish I could sleep through it. However, I know as strange as September 11th will seem from now on, it won't be as painful or as difficult as those who lost loved ones. My thoughts and prayers and those of my family go out to all of them. Hugs to you as well.