re: Where were you on 9/11

I was getting ready to go to court over an expired tag ticket written by a bicycle cop in Athens. Couldn't just pay the fine, had to go to traffic court. Was waiting on my son to finish getting ready and turned on TV. Was typical CNN fare for about 5 minutes then they broke in with the first plane and about 5 hours later I remembered I was headed to court. I called the clerk and she said courts had closed and the hearing would be rescheduled.

Started look for US flags in bulk on google around 2 PM. Could not find any anywhere on earth. Could have made a nice bundle.

Probably the Doppler effect.

Pulled up to work and WJBO said a plane hit the WTC then played the 8am chime. Checked CNN when I got to my desk and thought that wasnt a small plane. I had a hacked Dish at the time so it was local NY news for 6 weeks after it.

5th grade classroom. They brought TV’s in we watched everything unfold the rest of the day.

I was in 7th grade. I think we started classes at 7:30 so right before the first plane struck. I had an orthodontist appointment that day so my mom checked me out fairly early in the day. I wish I'd had the foresight to document my movements relative to the events of the day as I can't quite remember what time I was checked out of school and what had already taken place by that point.


We hadn't yet been told at school. So when I got in the car, my mom told me someone had flown planes into the World Trade Center in New York. I didn't really know what the WTC was and my 11 year old mind couldn't comprehend the magnitude of what that meant. As I was at the orthodontist, they had the radio which was reporting on what was going on and that was when I started to get an idea of the seriousness but I still hasn't seen it.

After the appointment, we grabbed a burger from Wendy's and went home to eat. That was when I turned on the TV and saw everything for the first time. The towers falling, the burning pentagon, people covered in dust. As I was home, the Presidents speech from Barkdale aired and I thought that was wild. During all this, the President is here in my town.

My mom was so shook that she was willing to let me stay home but i told her I wanted to go back. Something in me wanted to experience that day and see what everyone else was going through. Coincidentally my first class when I got back was history. My teacher scrapped his lesson plan that day and ehat he talked about has always stuck with me. He just tried to instill in us the gravity of the days events. He told us this would be a pinpoint moment in your lives. You're going to remember where you were, the things you've seen, the response to it in the coming days. The world will be changed. I mean of course that's all obvious stuff but as an 11 year old something about his words, his tone just really struck me.

Had dinner at Windows On the World several times. It was off and on a good restaurant, but it was fantastic to take out of town visitors to. Booking a reservation late in the afternoon about an hour before sundown at a table next to a window was awe inspiring as the sunset turned to a night scape.

My messenger service was having a breakfast meeting at that restaurant and they didn't make it.

The WTC was a great city landmark because it was almost always visible and marked downtown. For months out of habit, I'd come up from a subway and look for it to orient myself except it wasn't there.

Sending a fax at the exact time the second tower was hit. I still have the confirmation sheet as a macabre souvenir.

Was still home getting ready for work. Had the radio on while showering, and heard about the 1st plane. Turned CNN on on the 12' B&W kitchen TV as I was getting coffee. Saw that live. After a big "Damn", I had to jump in the car and get to work after that.

Ask me where I was for the start of George HW Bush's Desert Storm.