email859.xml

email859.xml

born-digital

email

unknown

yes

2002-09-13

I know that it must not seem real when you watch it on TV, that it's happening in a foreign country. But let's just put it this way imagine you worked on West 9th and the Terminal Tower was bombed and you had to get home to Lakewood and the closed off all the roads. Tell me how scared you would be when you can smell the smoke and people cry and you have to walk home. And all the time when you walk home all you think about is let me get home, let me call my loved ones, let my friends be alive. That is what 9/11/01 was like. And the fact of the matter is the city is creeping back to normalcy but the words from your president seems to suggest retaliation and a circular flow of violence and you are in the city with the most landmarks in the U.S. Then you aren't allowed to go into work because they will arrest you if you cross the line. There are people in military helmets walking down the street, there are policemen on every corner. Where you work has turned into a war zone. Then they ask you to comeback to work and noone is on the street to protect you and all you see is thousands of flyers copied of people's missing love ones. There is candle wax all over the streets and you try not to cry because you're going to work. When you get to work you are distracted and not really there you keep thinking what's going on what will happen. How can the World Trade Center towers be gone. It just doesn't make sense. So, yeah, I'm scared but I live in New York. I think it is scariest for us and those in Washington. But I wouldn't feel safe in any of the new economy centers like Atlanta or Seattle. So that's how I feel.

As far as you flying it's been a risk and it's still a risk. You couldn't pay me to fly into New York or go to an airport right now. It sounds as if it takes three hours to get on a plane at least. So, when I come home for Christmas I'm taking the Amtrak rather than plane. As for your flight it's probably safe....I mean what's in Cleveland? The Rock Hall? Key Plaza? hardly up there with the UN, Carnegie Hall, Times Square or the Statue of Liberty is it? So it's most likely fine to fly out of Cleveland. A friend of a friend flew out of New York to Denmark and he's fine. But they did lose all his luggage.

So to tell you honestly and I know you think I'm joking...I'm planning on leaving New York next year. I don't know where I'm going but just some place quiet for a couple of years to draw and relax. You know a place without bomb scares or bosses killing themselves. Someplace to just live. I'm not saying I won't comeback to New York City but I am planning on leaving next year. This is just alittle too much excitement for me.

09/2001

9/11