Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource September 11 Digital Archive Stories Description An account of the resource This collection is the bulk of the archive, representing the reactions and experiences of thousands of individuals beginning in 2002. 911DA Story 911DA Story: Story Tell us about what you did, saw, or heard on September 11th. Feel free to write as much or as little as you like. Tell us your story: On the morning of September 11th, everything seemed exceptionally clear and positive. My birthday was that previous Sunday (the 9th) and I had just recently found a new job after months of employment at AIG Global Real Estate (located at 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, a couple of blocks east of where the towers stood). I remember oversleeping. Originally I had planned on getting up early to go to the Borders book store in the World Trade Center mall before work. It turns out I was spared a great deal by being tardy. By the time I dressed and got out onto the street it was about 9:00 a.m. or so. I walked down Essex Street to reach the JMZ subway line at Delancey. It was when I began my routine commute that I noticed the top of one of the towers was smoking. I called my roommate from a payphone since my cell phone didn't seem to be working. He worked evening hours in Jersey City, so I told him to think about alternate travel plans (rather than the PATH) to work if there was a large fire at the WTC. I kept walking to the train station where I found that the platform was overly crowded for such a little-used commuter line. It was then that an MTA worker came down to the platform to explain to us what had happened. He said two planes (two? I thought) were flown into the towers, and terrorism was suspected. The trains would be stopping at Chambers Street/City Hall at that time. So, worried about my co-workers and friends I hopped on a train, got out at City Hall and proceeded to walk down a chaotic scene of people milling about and gathered around radios/TV's in order to get as much information as possible. I had to bypass Broadway and Nassau Street by using alleys and side streets in order to make it down to my office building. I noticed then that the building was undergoing evacuation as people kept streaming out. My cell phone was useless and I was unable to find anyone I knew. I then headed west toward the Towers on Liberty Street. Weaving through a mob of people scurrying around I made my way down the street when a uniformed officer loomed up in front of me, pointed at my chest and said, "Get the hell out of here now!" Stunned to the point where I couldn't challenge anything that remotely looked like authority, let alone a cop, I walked back the way I came. I moved up Fulton Street while numbly staring at all the whey faced, frantic people around me. It was when I reached the buildings of Pace University by City Hall park that I heard a terrified shout: "It's falling!" I turned around while I heard the most horrifying rumble and roar. A tower was collapsing, and the panic of thousands of people propelled us forward as if a sea had just receded from the lower portion of Manhattan. I twisted around to see if the building was 'chasing' us, but the cloud of dust and ash settled about two or three hundred yards behind me. While I walked home, a bit lost in my thoughts, I overheard a person talking on Canal Street. "I can't believe it...both of them!" I looked back once again, and both towers were gone. I spent the rest of the day at home chain smoking while my roommate brought me beer, with brief moments where I would email, instant message or (when luck allowed) phone friends and loved ones. I returned the next Monday to work, same building, gasping in the dust and smoke, surrounded by national guardsmen and police officers. It didn't stop me from lighting a cigarette every hour that day. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource story1400.xml 911DA Item Elements describing a September 11 Digital Archive item. Status The process status of this item. approved Consent Whether September 11 Digital Archive has permission to possess this item. full Posting Whether the contributor gave permission to post this item. yes Copyright Whether the contributor holds copyright to this item. yes Source The source of this item. born-digital Media Type The media type of this item. story Created by Author Whether the author created this item. yes Described by Author Whether the description of this item was submitted by the author. no Date Entered The date this item was entered into the archive. 2002-08-22 IP Address The IP address of the device used to submit the item. 167.230.38.7