9/11 Where were you and what were you doing?

[nancy thereader]

I was teaching in Brooklyn, then. We could see the towers from the third floor of our school. Parents began arriving to take their children home. No one knew what would happen next. Nothing like this had ever happend before.

Everywhere people were streaming across the Brooklyn Bridge trying to escape from Lower Manhattan ; they were covered with dust and ashes . No one spoke. Even as far away as ten miles, the air was grey with smoke . All train schedules were abolished. Everyone just piled onto the commuter trains to escape.

Within days, there were posters of lost people everywhere. In store windows, on telephone poles and fences. No one knew what to do to help those who were searching for their lost relatives. Most were never found.

What I most remember, though was that next week . All over the city the mournful sound of bagpipes played as the city buried its dead. They seemed to go on forever, these sad ceremonies. It was a terrible time.

[bjh]

I lived in Texas at the time. I didn't have to be at work until 11 that day so turned on the TV news while getting ready. I remember the morning news programs were just tuning into the first WTC tower hit. They were speculating if something had gone wrong mechanically with the plane to make it go off course and strike a building. No one knew anything at that stage.

Right before I left the house, the second plane struck the other tower. I guess I behaved automatically, I just drove to work listening to the radio. There no one got anything done the rest of the day. Everyone was gathered around any available TV watching things unfold.

Then we went home and watched more news. I remember getting online. To my surprise was able to do so and stream news that evening as well.

[ainulinale]

I was in high school and just leaving the economics computer lab when a person I know waved me into a classroom with the tv on. The first building was smoking pretty good and eventually collapsed. I was in shock and nearly in tears. When I got to Organic Chemistry, my professor wouldn't let us watch the news (which ticked everyone off). I essentially had to wait until the end of school before I found out exactly what happened even with the rumors spreading about throughout the day.
I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is about 60 miles from where the third plane crashed. At the time, our news teams speculated that the terrorists may have been going for the U.S. Steel tower as it is a symbol of industry. This was later disproved, but I remember being very angry that Bin Laden attacked my country and possibly even tried for my hometown.

[GinnyGin]

Hiya,I was on vacation in Vegas for 14nights..hubby and i were due to fly back to the UK on sep 11th..the planes hit and we were stranded for nearly a week.Vegas turned off all the lights in respect that evening, they had huge screens in the darkness on the strip, the screens had the USA flag flying with GOD BLESS AMERICA..I went cold all overGod Bless AllGinnyGin UK x

[bjh]

It wasn't meant to exclude, Ginny. When I am in another country and hear the people talking about their country, I think it's like hearing a family conversation. At that time it was a family in crisis.