story2504.xml

story2504.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-09-11

I was at my office listening to the radio when reports were broadcast. It seemed so surreal and unbelievable. Since I work in one of the tallest buildings in Columbus that is also connected to government buildings, my company announced that we could leave at about 11:00. All the government workers were dismissed earlier and I remember how quiet downtown was as I walked out of the building. The main downtown street "High Street" was closed to all traffic and I was unaware of this until I walked out of my building.I'm a bus rider and I couldn't catch my bus home at my normal stop since High Street was closed. Policemen were standing along High Street and they were antsy with hands on their guns. This made everyone afraid to ask what was happening with the buses. So I just walked. I had to walk over a mile to a bus stop on the outer edge of downtown to catch my bus. I waited almost two hours. People waiting for the bus decided to walk tremendous distances just to get home to their loved ones. The bus finally came and it was packed. I sat next to a lady who was hysterical and talking to herself incoherently. As soon as another seat became available, I moved. People chatted on the bus. When I finally arrived home, I turned on the TV and it became real.