A NYC FReeper's Perspective: The Smoke Outside My Window

self ^ | Sept. 11, 2001, a date that will live in infamy | Silly

[Silly]

I'd like to share what it has been like here in midtown Manhattan... I'll provide some running commentary with my observations.

[Silly]

More to follow.

[Silly]

My subway was delayed today, I knew not why. A crazy looking man started talking to himself, sitting next to me. It wasn't until later that I realized: He wasn't crazy. He somehow had a radio and was talking out loud, reporting to everyone on the train what had happened.

Should I believe him? There are subway delays all the time. An old woman repeated to her husband: A plane has hit the World Trade Center.

[Valin]

Please BE careful.

[Silly]

I grabbed a cab, because the train stopped too far from work today. I still didn't know why, and didn't realize anything had happened. The man's comments had gone through one ear and out the other.

The cab driver repeated what I had been told: A plane had it the WTC. Now, on Lexington Avenue, I could see heavy gray smoke billowing down at Wall Street. I am maybe five miles or so from that area, but the smoke was unmistakeble.

I rushed up the elevator...

[Aquamarine]

Believe him.

[Nitro]

Both towers hit, both towers are gone. They also hit the pentagon!

[Silly]

Coming through the door at work, our receptionist and I exchanged glances. She rides the same subway I do.

People were pretty frantic, and then someone said, "One of the towers fell over," to someone on her cell phone.

This can't be right, I thought. This woman must be cracking up. There's no way such a tower would be falling over. Then I checked my voicemail: My friends and relatives had been leaving messages already for me, concerned.

I knew something was serious.

[RikaStrom]

You get back to a safe spot and let us know you are ok.

[Ada Coddington]

My subway was delayed today, I knew not why.

I saw the North Tower hit and ran for cover. First cover was a parked bus and the second was a subway entrance. At that point the subways were still running and I took advantage.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Where in Midtown are you? How far away? Any impact on utilities yet (I guess not, you're posting)? Any announcements on what they'll do with all of the commuters trapped in NYC--they'll be getting hungry soon. Any looting, misbehavior, or other intimations of martial law?

[Gabz]

Just stay safe.

Thanks for giving us your observations.

[HateBill]

I live in downtown Brooklyn. My complex parallels the Brooklyn Bridge walkway. When I left my house at 10:00 a.m. to vote I saw many people walking across the Brooklyn Bridge. The smoke was so heavy (I am around 2 miles from the WTC as the crow flies, separated by the East River) that now, 2-1/2 hours later, my asthma is still bothering me.

I start work at 2:00 pm. on Wall Street and called my office. My co-workers are in the office with no way to get home. Please pray for them.

[Nitro]

Good job.

As we used to say in the Navy, put your ass to the blast and go balls to the wall!!

[IncPen]

A team from the company I work for in Chicago headed to NYC for a meeting at our World Trade Center offices today.

We just heard that that team and a missing VP are OK.

Prayers answered; our offices worldwide have been dismissed to be with family and friends.

I got an email from a coworker in NYC who I was to have had a conference call that said "I am trying to get out of the city..."

[Gabz]

Good thinking on your part. Hopefully we'll start hearing more stories like you and Silly.

I worked on Wall and Broad and also on Rector street many years ago - I can only imagine the chaos the area is in.

God be with all.

[Saundra Duffy]

My God! You went to vote today. I am speechless. For victory & freedom!!!

[Silly]

Now everyone in the office was springing into action. Here in midtown, on the 33rd floor of a relatively anonymous office building, reports spread like wildfire.

Another person repeated the story: A tower had fallen. I still did not believe that story.

I tried to return calls to friends and relatives, but the lines were down. It was sinking in: Something really was happening. Am I safe in our office building?

My friend here at work made arrangements for some of us to stay at the Waldorf. Everything was closing: bridges, subways, tunnels, highways, trains. Manhattan is being locked down.

I started to believe now that a World Trade Center tower was down.

And I could see the smoke outside our office window. Not too far from us, very heavy, dark gray smoke, an ugly color I will not forget.

People were scrambling to leave. Was the building safe? People were concerned about their kids. I tried to log onto FR, and briefly looked at the sidebar threads... FR was slow, but the headlines in the sidebar threads were serious.

[Ada Coddington]

I worked on Wall and Broad and also on Rector street many years ago - I can only imagine the chaos the area is in

This is the third terrorist attack I have personally witnessed since I began working downtown. Over 25 years ago I saw the attack on Fraunces Tavern and I also saw the 1993 attack on the WTC.

[Nitro]

I am thinking that lower Manhattan will be off-limits to the public for at least a month or two. Consider alone recovering the debris from two aircraft, let alone the two World Trade Towers!

[Gabz]

My prayers are with your colleagues and everyone else in New York.