What were you doing on September 11,2001?

I just got back from FL the night before. I showed up to work early when a girl I work with came in and said a plane went into the WTC. I started looking online because we didnt have a TV in the room. when it finally came online we saw that #2 crashed into the WTC and we went to my bosses house and watched TV then I went home and cried

Its hard reading some of these stories....
At the time I worked for another television network so I saw the whole thing unfold on live television. We were getting a lot of inaccurate reports so when I heard/saw people jumping my mind couldn't comprehend it. What's worse is that during it all I was trying to work, trying to relay information to my boss who was in LA (around 5:30am his time), trying to man the phones, trying to reach producers/reporters....all while thinking of my cousin who was somewhere in 2 WTC (I didn't know where she was in relation to the impact). I didn't get a hold of her the whole day and I was worried sick. I even went down to 5th avenue and saw these buildings on fire, and when I saw them fall I thought I was living in a dream. Honestly I really thought it was the end of the world.

And then just when you think you have heard the worst...my present co-worker's brother was the
co-pilot on the flight that crashed in Pennsylvania. This week is very difficult for her.

I was 7 months pregnant and I was feeling really tired and weak that day so I had stayed home to sleep. Someone I work with called me to make sure I was okay and told me to turn on the tv and I was like leave me alone I am sleeping (I was cranky) so she said turn it on now and I saw the plane flying into the second building and my mouth dropped I couldn't believe what was happening.

I stayed home all day watching the news b/c they had said there were more planes missing. I couldn't not believe what was going on!!

I felt worse watching all those people, I wish there was something I could have done!!

I was still sleeping when my phone rang. It was my boyfriend (now DH). He started to leave a message, 'Are you watching TV? A plane just hit the WTC.' I jumped out of bed and ran to get the phone, picked it up and put on the TV. I was shocked when I saw the tower, billowing with smoke, flames shooting out. I was still watching TV when the second plane hit.

He warned me that they are probably going to call him in to work (NYPD). Sure enough, they did. I begged him not to go. But he had too. He told me I might not hear from him for a while because it's so hard to get in touch with all the phones out, and not to worry too much.

I didn't hear from him all night, into the next morning. The next morning, my FMIL called and asked if he had come out and spent the night with me. I said 'No, why?' She told me had never come home. I told her to call the precinct and see if he was still there or still down at WTC. She said she already had, and that he wasn't there! I LOST it!

I called his cell phone and his voicemail picked up. I left a hysterical message, begging him to call me somehow.

About FOUR hours later, he finally called me. He had been so exhausted that he slept at the precinct, upstairs in the lounge. Whoever told his mother he wasn't there was an IDIOT and never checked up there. It was so horrible to think something happened to him.

I was so full of worry and anxiety and fear, that I actually started stripping wallpaper in my bedroom, just to keep myself occupied so I wouldn't go crazy from the worry.

I nearly broke up with him shortly after that. Our relationship was only 11 months old, and I had serious questions about my ability to be a cops wife after that. But I got through it okay.

Reading these stories makes me so sad. I was in the city, actually in the Trump Towers at CBS. I work for a tv station so we were bringing one of the people in one of our shows to be on the Early Show. We were sitting in the green room and watching tv when we saw the recap of the first plane hit. We all thought it was a Cessna plane but then the second plane hit and everyone started to FREAK out. All of the producers ran out of the building and we followed. We jumped into a car that was waiting for us and I didn't know what to do so I went back to work. But going down 5th Ave. I saw the smoke coming out of the towers. I tried getting a hold of Jeff and he was okay (he works in midtown) and when I got back to work I saw the towers collapse.

I didn't know if I should leave or stay- I felt so scared to walk out into the streets not knowing what could happen. I finally walked to Jeff's office and met him and my best friend there. We stayed for a bit and I got a hold of my family. I just remember being so scared because htere were all these rumors going around that NYU Medical Center was hit, the Empire State Building..... it felt so unsafe to be anywhere.

Finally, Jeff and I walked to the ferries on the west side and took a train to Weehawken, then a bus to Newark, then a cab home. We got home around 7pm and ran around the corner to our friends house. His wife was there saying she hadn't heard from him- he worked on the 90th floor of Tower 2. We just sat there for a long time and waited and waited. We finally went home since all their family was there and just watched tv for hours. We heard he died trying to help people evacuate. This weekend we're actually doing a walk from 44th street to battery park with other families of WTC victims.

When we went back to work, we had the Red Cross set up a make-shift office in our hallways. I remember seeing these people with their piles of missing, found and deceased. The deceased and missing piles were HUGE.

I was on the train and saw the first tower on fire from the window of the train just as we were about to go underground.

We were kicked off the W train because it couldn't go over the bridge (My then boyfriend, now DH was stuck on the W train on the bridge watching the whole thing unfold...he said basically everyone on the train was about to jump off the bridge because they were so afraid of dying while they watched the planes hit. They thought (and he was convinced) that they were going to try and take out the bridges next.

When we were kicked off the train, we were forced onto an N train that was returning from Manhattan. On the train, a woman was uncontrollably screaming, her face and arms covered in blood. She had just come from the site, saw people jumping, and was hit by numerous pieces of debris. She was so scared that she didn't even realize that she was bleeding, and just ran down into the subway to get out of the city.

We were forced out of the N train and out of the subway by Union Street in Brooklyn. I started walking home, and as I walked the wind shifted and soot and smoke started blowing over us. I can still smell it, and taste the grit in my teeth. It was so God awful and so frightening. At this point, I still had no idea they had fallen. I finally got through on my cell phone to my sister, who told me. I was surrounded by people who couldn't get through to anyone, so when they heard me talking, they all swarmed around me. When my sister told me I started crying and they all got scared and kept saying 'what what what!!!!'. I told them and everyone kind of scattered...screaming, crying and running home. It was so horrible.

I was also trying desparately to get though to friends that worked there. One was in midtown on a completely FLUKE meeting that she shouldn't have even been in. The other was killed with her fiance at my old job...on the 97th floor of tower 2.


I finally made it home at about 3:00....to DH's parents house. He got home at about 5....and we spent the night with one eye open. The smell from the towers wafting into the bedroom was so overwhelming and we were so beside ourselves. It was the quietest night of our lives.

You know, I have never written this out....and if I continue, it could be the longest post in LIWeddings history. It really feels good to finally write it all down though.

I was on the subway on my way to work when it all happened. I work in a hospital in Northern Manhattan. One of our medical assistants told me what happened and I couldnt believe her. It wasnt until I heard the plane hit the pentagon and that there were other planes unaccounted for, that I started to panic. Then the rumors about the UN, Empire State Bldg being hit started to spread. I called everyone I knew to make sure they were ok. FI was out in Queens at his parents house. We didnt see each other until they started opening the bridges that week. I couldnt leave the hospital until late that evening b/c we were in 'disaster mode'. All I wanted to do is be with my family. I made my brother go to my apt. and get my bunny rabbit and take it to my parents apt nearby. All of us were in my parents house for a good 4 days; I couldnt bear to go to my apt and be alone at night.
The horrific images from tv stuck in my head for a while and anytime I had to go away, for even one day and be apart from my family, I would start to get anxious. It lasted a good 6-7 months until I started to feel less anxious. It was a horrible feeling, but not as horrible as people who witnessed it and lost loved ones...my heartfelt thoughts go out to you all.

I was at work about 10 blocks away from the Towers when the first plane hit. I had 3 departments that worked for me at that time that were located in 7WTC. They immediately called to say a plane hit the building. I along with a few others raced down to 7WTC to access any damage and to see if we needed to evacuate the building (of course at this time we just thought it was an accident). As we reached 7WTC the second plane hit. We went up to the 46th Floor of our building to where our staff was and our windows overlooked the Trade Centers. We saw things that I still try to block out of my head.

We started to evacuate the buildings and got everyone out. Myself and a few others were in the mezz level of our building waiting to make sure the floors were cleared. As we are waiting the first tower fell. The force blew out all of the windows where we were standing and filled the building with smoke and dust. I don’t remember how but the security guard we were with was able to get us out the back doors of the building and on to the street. It was unreal. We were all running back to our building 10 blocks away but we could hardly see the hand in front of our faces. Eventually we reached our building and by that time it was evacuated as well.

A triage was set up in our lobby for non critically injured people and we opened our cafeterias for the police and firefighters to give them food, water, clean clothes if needed.

I stayed in the city from that day until about a week later getting our business back up and running at the alternate sites. I just remember the smell and the stinging in my eyes that lasted for about 2 weeks.

It was a terrible experience and I do have to say I’m lucky that I had no one close to me be killed in the event.

Ladies i feel that it is very good to be writing all of this down and i know this is a very difficult subject
Thank -You for sharing your stories

I was running late for work and was getting ready. My boss called (she lives in NYC) and said not to bother coming in, a plane hit the WTC. I was so confused, how could a plane hit a huge building? Then I put the tv on and saw the second plane hit - live. I was pretty much in shock, crying, and pacing around my house. I stayed glued to the tv for days, afraid that another attack was coming. Finally, I had to turn it off, b/c I just couldn't take it anymore.

i was with my sister and aunt taking my niece to the dentist to get her teeth pulled, when i heard it on the radio. my aunt thought it had to be a joke. when we walked into the dentist, they had it on t.v and we saw the second plane hit the 2nd tower. it was horrible, everyone in the office was crying.

my brother goes to school by the wtc, and luckily he was running late and heard about it while he was on the lirr, and got off at the next stop and came back home.

I was at work praying for everyone I knew to be alright and for all of the victim's families to get through the unimagineable pain and suffering

I used to work in the city and had to be there for 7am. 180 Maiden Lane, Right across street from South street Seaport.

I remember it vividly, the news was on, I was in my office when the lights flickered, and immediately the news went to the helicopter camera. Watched it and saw the second plane hit too.............
MY FH walked from Grand Central Station all the way to my job to get me.

AS we walked uptown, I will never forget how friendly people were (in areas I would NEVER had normally walked through), giving out water, food, etc. Then to finally be on the LIRR going home there was such a calm to be going home, safely.

I was driving to work at the nassau Da's office when the first plane hit the towers and I heard it in my car on the radio and was like and just couldnt believe it
then I walked upstairs to the office I was working in and the two DA's were just sitting there w/ the radio on and said a SECOND plane hit the WTC did you hear? and my reaction was just shock! and I just said ' a second plane?'

then I just sat on a chair and listened w/ them

I was teaching in Glen Head when someone walked into the classroom and said that an airplane hit the towers. I immediately freaked out b/c I knew that my mom and aunt were going there (to one of the buildings, but not the towers) for a conference. I could not reach her for hours. But I finally got thru.

This is the second time I nearly lost my mom to a violent crime. My uncle is a NYC fireman, and my father works for the FAA and both were there till the wee hours of the morning for days. It was the first time I saw my dad cry. He still has his work boots with the dust from the towers covering them. It is his memorial to the day.

We were released early that day and all I did was wait for my mom and dad to come home.

Jenn P., I too wrote my TY's while glued to CNN...
I am very glad that your Pat was NOT in tower 1.

As for me, it was my Pat's birthday. His first one as a married man, and I woke him up and made him open his gifts and eat breakfast with me, because I was too excited to wait till after work to wish him a happy birthday. I'm very glad I did, and so is he, because the first plane hit while he was driving to work, and he didn't get to come home home till Thursday.

I was at school, and my kindergarten children arrived shortly after the second plane hit. Needless to say we couldn't have the radio or TV on, so we spent the day sneaking into the faculty room to watch the news, and updating each other in whispers.
When Patrick was FINALLY able to get a phone signal and call me, my school put his call directly through to my classroom, which is NEVER allowed.
I was so relieved that I cried in front of my children.

WOW! I read many of the posts and they touched my heart and made me tear up. Well, here's my story. When I can, I will read the rest.


I am a teacher- then I was a sped. kinder-1st grade teacher who was having a very rough start to my year b/c of a very autistic and difficult child. I had a friend of mine meet me before school about 8:30 (she was an autism expert and works in my district- but not my building) come and help me out with this autistic child's program. Well, she and I sat down and chatted about this child and after a few minutes she said to me, 'I got to go back before the pre-school is locked down!. I was like W T F???? She said 'you havent heard????' Well, anyway, I get into work around 8am and havent had the radio on. She told me about the first tower and at that time we didn't know it collapsed or was a terrorist attack. I ran and put on the radio, but at this time the kids started pouring in and I shut it off. I soon became upset and panniced b/c my DH's (FI at the time) was on their way to the city- his family was in from Isreal and his parents were bringing them to the city to tour around especially the WTC. I called him from my room (we work in the same building) and he had no idea. He ran to the office to fight for a phone and when he did, he found out that his family was on the train and once they heard, they turned around and walked 2 train stops back to their car- they live on LI so it was a long walk!!!

Well, the school went into lockout and so many kids were picked up by their prents. Me and the other teachers in my hall put on a movie for the kids ( many of them) in my room and we watched the breaking news on my classroom computer. Many teachers had DH's that were in the city and they were frantically looking for them.

Well, I'm glad that no one that I knew personally perished or had a loved one that did. There were a few kids in our building that had. Some teachers/professionals in our district did. Too sad and I feel for them.

to all on such a sad occaision.

I also remember having to run around looking at halls right after 9/11 and having the earie feeling that I shouldn't be doing this and that I should be home. It was such a surreal feelig. I was newley engaged and it was supposed to be such a happy moment. No matter what I did, the thoughts and feleings of what happened took over and I just couldn't be happy about what was going on in my life b/c other things mattered more. I will never forget it.