story3277.xml

story3277.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

On September 11, 2001 I awoke like I did every morning to get my 12 yr old son (at that time) ready for school and by chance he missed his school bus and had to drive him to his school. I had the radio off in my car so I knew nothing of what transpired at 8:46 am that morning. Upon returning home at 9:10 am, as soon as I opened my front door and stepped inside I heard my brother yelling for me to come and look at the television and of the events that were taking place in NYC. Myself and my family being from Baldwin, NY stood there in shock as I saw footage of a plane crashing into the other tower. My brother informed me that a plane had crashed into the first tower and that it was on fire. I sat down on his bed and just looked at the TV in horror. As a child and growing up on Long Island I would see the towers from the Long Beach bridge on a clear day and I would see the outline of the towers from Jones Beach on a clear day. I was glued to the television for the entire day and when the South Tower collapsed my brother thought it was just smoke and I kept telling him that the tower collapsed. He just kept saying no it didn't. It could not have collapsed and it was not until the news casters announced that the South Tower had collapsed that it truly hit him. Then when the North Tower collapsed we both knew at that moment that the City of New York would never be the same to us. The New York City skyline would be forever changed for us. I can remember going up into the towers when I was on a trip with my girl scout troop and looking out over the city and thinking it was beautiful. Now I will never be able to experience that with my children. They will never know a NY skyline with the Twin Towers. The towers were the symbol of the NY skyline. What did you think of when you thought of NY before September 11th, You thought of the NY skyline and of the Twin Towers. Now future generations will never see those giants and what they meant to NYer's in general. They will forever see the emptiness of Manhattan as you fly over it. I remember back in December of 2001 when I had to fly into NYC for a family emergency. I remember looking out of the plane's window and just staring at where the towers stood and it was like I was reliving that day all over again when I saw Manhattan. My son who was sitting next to me pushed me out of the way and then just sat back and said that NYC will never be the same again and I agree with him. He had seen the towers from the air everytime we flew in or out of NY and now he can never see those giants ever again and it makes him sad. On that fateful day our freedom was attacked and the heart of all NYer's was wounded when a symbol of their fine city was destroyed because of stupidity and cruelty!!