Button - Via5
September 11, 2001
WTC NEWS & LINKS

OPINIONS
Home > stories & opinions

 disbelief & disgust
Posted by: "dave" from Brooklyn
Tuesday October 07, 2003 @ 09:21 PDT

i remember that morning as if it were a few days ago. it started out real nice as i can remember.
i was on the express bus, and had just entered manhattan. it was a beautiful day. i remember saying to myself as the bus stopped at the world trade center "gosh, the wtc looks beautiful, and i have to come here tomorrow to take some pictures of it." because i have lived in ny most of my life, and had no pictures of that or any landmark, because it is something that is seen everyday.
the bus was stopped at the wtc at around 8am. i got off at prince street and proceeded to head to my job. while sitting at my desk, i heard an engine from an airplane that sounded extremely close overhead. the others in the office seemed to ignore it, but instantly reminded of a previous time when i worked on 23rd & 5th and heard an engine extremely close and loud that it really startled me. that turned out to be some type of tribute.
anyway, on september 11 2001 i was at my desk and i heard a very close and loud winding airplane engine overhead which everyone else seemed to ignore.
shortly afterwards i heard a boom, which everyone else seemed to ignore.
i asked a worker who had just gotten up from his desk and started to walk to the kitchen "did you hear that?" they said no, what? i said "it sounded like an airplane crashed around here". they said no and they did not hear anything.
a few seconds later, one of the people who worked in accounting said "dave ?". i said "yes". she said "you know that noise t you said you heard before ?" i said "yes" she said "an airplane just crashed into the world trade center".
i thought oh my ..
shortly afterwards, i tried to access a known news website to see what was happening but their servers seemed flooded with many others trying to do the same.
the cell phones were down, common news sites were down, phones were down, and we were unable to get good reception on a small black and white tv that security had brought up to us to see what was happening.
the strange thing is that we were only a few blocks from the wtc but we were bent on accessing news through the media. i guess that is how unrealistic the feeling was that this was taking place.
99% of the people did not think to just go outside and see what was happening, because deep down i guess we thought that this doesn't happen here, and we are accustomed to getting our news from the media.
there was word that a second plane had hit the other tower, and everyone looked at eachother in disbelief, shock and fear.
shortly after that, one of the towers fell. most didn't believe that either because we could see the antenna of one of the towers from where our building is, and it was the same view we always had of the wtc. disbelief was also caused be the fact that we did not hear a sound when the first tower fell. after the second tower fell, we decided to leave to see what was happening, and to leave manhattan, and some to go home.
i remember finally getting on to a news site, and being able to pull up a picture of the first plane hitting one of the towers.
on the way home, i walked just as everyone else did. the smell of burning jet fuel, smoke, death, shocked faces, crying faces, inflated prices for cabs, fear, anger as well as other life depressants were everywhere and plentiful.

after finally being able to fall asleep, i was awakened by the powerful evil smell of the disaster all the way in brooklyn in my bensonhurst apartment in the early am hours. it has traveled far.
a lot of other details were left out, but that is what i remember most, and will never forget.
i am somewhat lucky to be alive, but i am not claiming to be a hero like some people are, as well as some known businesses who try to cash in. that is also truly disgusting and i have since cancelled my accounts / and desire to support them by using or buying their services and products.

i used to live 1 block from the wtc on canal & fulton, and one time looked up at these enormous buildings and thought that if they ever came down, they would fall over sort of like a tree would, not straight down.
it is sad happening, and i do not support constructing a nearly 1900 foot memorial in its place. also, i thought the whole idea of ground zero was not to turn it into a tourist attraction which it has become early on.
ground zero should remain with fence around it, and thats all. it may not look eye appealing, but then again it is not a celebration or fashion statement.
i feel it should be treated and respected as a burial without the glitz and hope for tourists.
 


© Copyright 1999 | 2016 via5
E-MAIL info@via5.com