email599.xml

email599.xml

born-digital

email

unknown

yes

2002-08-25

I normally catch the 7:34AM train into Penn Station, but because of local traffic, I arrived late and had to catch the 7:50AM train instead. I was able to catch the subway down to Chambers and I walked outside to because there was a long wait for a subway into WTC. When I got outside, I saw all these people looking up @ 1 WTC, and then I looked. The huge hole, the fire. It was fuckin' nuts. I asked someone what happened and he said an airplane crashed into 1 WTC. "It must have been an accident," I thought. I figure that was about 8:50AM or so, then I saw another explosion and that was 2 WTC. The first plane, I heard, hit in the 80s floor? region and I figure the second airplane hit the 60s, where I would've been (I work on 68). I was just shaking my head.

It was so surreal. I was hanging out on West Broadway and Chambers most of the time. Someone just yelled, "Get away. They're going to collapse."
I really think that either one would collapse, but I started walking north anyway. The mobile phones weren't working...too many people bombarding the phone lines at once. Just to see the horror in their faces as all this SHIT going down was ... Then I heard people say,
"Did you see that? Oh my God! Someone just jumped." I never saw any of
it. I had my back turned all the time from the chaos. I don't remember, but I saw 2 WTC collapse on tv while I was at a bar on 14th and 3rd Ave.
I couldn't believe it. Then I just proceeded to walk north on
1st Ave. Then I made it up to my sister's place on 61st and I was there
until 9PM.

I'm still a bit shaken. Life will never be the same for anyone I know. Having grown up and lived in NY basically all my life and to not see my workplace anymore or just a couple of NYC landmarks, it's just incredible. It's surreal.

Anyways, thank you for your concern, Justine. I'm alive and so are my friends and family who work in the area.

peace,
al

Wed, September 12, 2001 10:58:37 -0400

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