story8140.xml
Title
story8140.xml
Source
born-digital
Media Type
story
Date Entered
2002-09-26
911DA Story: Story
September 11th, 2001 began like any other day for me, as it did for most Americans. I woke early and got ready for class which I had to walk 10 blocks to get to. On the way there I always walked by ABC studios on Columbus Avenue and on that day I noticed one of the news anchors and a camera man running out of the building and into a car. This was about the time the first plane hit, although at the time I was unaware of this fact. I continued to class and when I arrived two of my friends said that they saw a low flying plane heading over the Biography building. At the time none of us thought anything of it but would learn later that it was in fact the second plane to crash into the towers.
We started class just on time proceeded as we normally do. At 10:30 a.m. class was let out, our usual dismissal time, and that is when we found out about the tragedies of the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Our next class was cancelled and we all ran back to our dorm rooms. Since we did not know if any attacks were going to occur again we were particularly cautious when passing Lincoln Center on West 66th Street. Once back at the dorms most students were frantically trying to contact family and friends to let them know that they were safe. For me it took more than an hour to contact my mother in Maryland and when I finally was able to get through I could hear the relief in her voice. Many students who had already gotten ahold of their family had gathered in our lounge which had one of the only cable televisions in the building. Most students were crying and in disbelief of the events that had occured. I specifically remember one of my friends, who is of Muslim decent, being angered that the country he once associated himself with could be blamed for these events.
Since that day I had the opportunity to see how New York was changed. I saw the smoke and debris from 14th Street that evening when no one except authorized persons were allowed to go past that point. I saw all of the flags hung all over Times Square in the weeks to come. And I saw the gaping hole the day before the closing ceremony.
Yes, September 11th did start like any other normal day for me and many other Americans. Little did anyone know that from the moment the first plane hit our lives would be forever changed.
We started class just on time proceeded as we normally do. At 10:30 a.m. class was let out, our usual dismissal time, and that is when we found out about the tragedies of the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. Our next class was cancelled and we all ran back to our dorm rooms. Since we did not know if any attacks were going to occur again we were particularly cautious when passing Lincoln Center on West 66th Street. Once back at the dorms most students were frantically trying to contact family and friends to let them know that they were safe. For me it took more than an hour to contact my mother in Maryland and when I finally was able to get through I could hear the relief in her voice. Many students who had already gotten ahold of their family had gathered in our lounge which had one of the only cable televisions in the building. Most students were crying and in disbelief of the events that had occured. I specifically remember one of my friends, who is of Muslim decent, being angered that the country he once associated himself with could be blamed for these events.
Since that day I had the opportunity to see how New York was changed. I saw the smoke and debris from 14th Street that evening when no one except authorized persons were allowed to go past that point. I saw all of the flags hung all over Times Square in the weeks to come. And I saw the gaping hole the day before the closing ceremony.
Yes, September 11th did start like any other normal day for me and many other Americans. Little did anyone know that from the moment the first plane hit our lives would be forever changed.
Collection
Citation
“story8140.xml,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed December 21, 2025, https://911digitalarchive.org/items/show/7607.