I am going to talk about the events that happened 15 years ago today. I give everyone and anyone a free pass to not read what I am writing.<\/p>\n
15 years ago was a Tuesday. I went into work at Del Rey like usual. It was a crisp clear day with a feeling of fall in the air. There was one point in the train ride into the city and only at that point I could see the Twin Towers which I did that day. They looked pretty against the stark blue sky. That was the last time I saw them standing with my eye.<\/p>\n
When the first plane hit, we thought it was a small plane and didn\u2019t think much of it. The promotions department turned on their TV which was the only on the floor. I put on NPR on my computer. It was terrible that the plane had crashed into the Tower. We had no idea what was going to happen next.<\/p>\n
The second plane hit the second tower about 15 minutes later. By that point we knew something was seriously wrong. Most of the floor was crowed into marketing and promotions. I stuck to my NPR feed which about 20 minutes later talked about a plane crashing into the Pentagon. Then an hour and half almost from the initial hit, a plane crashed in Pennsylvania rather than into the Capitol building which was its target.<\/p>\n
The city shut down for a time. There was no in or out. Traffic was stopped. Various departments at Ballentine books were scrambling to find places for people to stay overnight. <\/p>\n
I was trying to find out what happened to one of our editors who had flown out for a book conference that morning. His wife contacted me via email that he was safe and stuck in the Midwest as every plane in the country was grounded.<\/p>\n
Cell phones were pretty much useless because most of the cell towers were on top of the twin towers. I managed to get a call to Peter that I was OK before the cell service vanished. I don’t remember if I got in touch with my mother via phone or email, all I know is that I did tell her I was fine. <\/p>\n
My computer feed to NPR was the only one on the floor so people were coming by and listening to the news. Radio was also on top of the twin towers. <\/p>\n
Eventually they re-opened the subway system to go out of Manhattan. You could come in if you were a first responder but those personal were the only ones allowed in.<\/p>\n
It was a long walk to the subway since only a few lines were open and none that went through Wall Street. I went with the Del Rey Art Director and his very pregnant wife. We managed to squeeze onto a train that would take us to Jamaica where we could get a train out to our places on the Island. <\/p>\n
I got home and hugged Peter and the girls. <\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t go back in for a week. <\/p>\n
The long term for me of what happened that day was that I lost a job that I dearly loved due to what happened to the economy afterwards. <\/p>\n
We talk about events that change our lives. What happened to me 15 years ago is something that I am never going to forget. Like my parents never forgot where they were when JFK was shot.<\/p>\n
Interestingly it is history to Caroline. She was not even a twinkle in her father\u2019s eye when it happened.<\/p>\n
Since then I have tried to do a good deed on this day or this week in memory of all those who didn\u2019t make it through the day and all those who were effected by it. <\/p>\n
15 years seems like a long time but it still feels like yesterday as well. <\/p>\n
I am going to stay off the Internet and the local channels today. I am going to do laundry and take care of things around my house. I am going to live my life as normally as I can for those who can no longer do it.<\/p>\n
I am grateful for getting home that day fifteen years ago.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I am going to talk about the events that happened 15 years ago today. I give everyone and anyone a free pass to not read what I am writing. 15 years ago was a Tuesday. I went into work at Del Rey like usual. It was a crisp clear day with a feeling of fall […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5622","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t