12 years ago today, where were you? archived

jgberkeley reminded me of the smoke smell. I did not arrive back in Maplewood until Sept 12 but the smell of smoke was very distinct and present. It clearly was the smell from the towers.

Also, I was offered a job at the Port Authority in 1997 but did not take it. I believe I would have worked on the 67th floor of one of the towers. Sometimes I wonder what might have been had I taken it.

I recall that smell also. It remained in downtown Manhattan for some time after the attack. I recall it as a metallic sort of smell.

What also amazed me was how quickly New Yorkers got back to work. Come that following week, it was almost business as usual in downtown Manhattan in the streets surrounding the crumbled towers. What did annoy me were the legions of tourists/sightseers with their cameras and camcorders taking pictures and film of the carnage.

I went back to work on Sept 14. Riding the train to Penn Station (working in a.temporary office in Rock Center) three passenger's cell.phones rang at the same time and everyone visiably tensed up wondering what else happened. Once we realized it was nothing nervous laughter filtered through the car.

Am I the only one who was actually in the Towers when they were attacked? I know a few years ago there was another poster who was there, but I haven't heard anything from her recently?

I thought greeneyes was, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

I posted last night and talked about my fixation on finding the man I would see with his guide dog in the elevator nearly every day - and how I finally knew they were ok when I saw their picture in a photo exhibit. I was wondering today if there might be any articles about him online and just found this video on their story. Omar and "Salty" - http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=94f_1355165154

@bobk, you must not have read the whole thread. look at greeneyes 8:51 post. While short, it's incredibly moving. Would you like to tell your story or your current reaction? We'd love to hear and support you if necessary.

@bettyd, what a beautiful narrative.

I had just left work at 8th Ave in NY....Saw the second plane hit...started crying when people started to jump from the towers..asking and pleading for water to be dropped on the fires... what horror.

Eventually parked my parked car downtown which was now covered in soot and walked to Brooklyn using the Willambursg Bridge. I was allowed to pick up car couple days later.

tais was also in the towers.

lisat said:

I thought greeneyes was, but perhaps I'm mistaken.

I remember greeneyes as well. I remember her post of her experience and it made me ill. The horror that she wrote that she saw that day.

Is it still possible to get back to the "old MOL" where we could read posts from 9/11 or old blogs or whatever? I know that there were some links in the blogs section that worked for awhile, but I just tried a couple of them and got error messages.

@dave, @jamie

wendy said:

@bobk, you must not have read the whole thread. look at greeneyes 8:51 post. While short, it's incredibly moving. Would you like to tell your story or your current reaction? We'd love to hear and support you if necessary.

@bettyd, what a beautiful narrative.

Wendy, thanks, Greeneyes was the person I was thinking of when I posted earlier today. I don't think I posted about it back in 2001, but a friend who worked at AON left down the stairs about the same time at Greeneyes and was never seen again.

Waited all day in the ER for wounded who never came. So sad.

bobk said:

Am I the only one who was actually in the Towers when they were attacked? I know a few years ago there was another poster who was there, but I haven't heard anything from her recently?

I was in there too. On the 67th floor of the south tower.

BsMom said:

Waited all day in the ER for wounded who never came. So sad.

I have a friend who was a nurse at NYU said the same thing. They got all prepared and were waiting and waiting and not a single patient came in.

new207040 said:

Was living in boston on the phone with my lawyer negotiating a purchase of a home in colts neck nj to move down for a new job and a relationship......fate played a nasty on us... We moved to the house, job stayed intact, but there was no longer someone to move for

I'm so sorry for your loss.