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| I RAN DOWNSTAIRS AFTER HEARING THE BIG BOOM. PEOPLE WERE SCREAMING. THIS PICTURE WAS TAKEN LESS THAN TWO MINUTES AFTER THE FIRST PLANE HIT. |
| THE PICTURE BELOW WAS TAKEN AT ABOUT 2:00 PM, WHEN I WAS LEAVING HOME. BOTH TOWERS ARE DOWN, BUT 7 WTC IS STILL STANDING. I HAD DECIDED THAT IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE WHEN A COP TOLD ME THAT 7 WAS DEFINITELY GOING TO COLLAPSE. |
| GROUND ZERO POINT ONE. CHAMBERS AND GREENWICH ST. NYC. |
| JIM AND I MANAGED TO TALK OUR WAY BACK HOME ON SEPTEMBER 12. THE PHOTOS BELOW SHOW OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IN CHAOS. THE BUILDINGS 3 BLOCKS SOUTH WERE STILL COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. THE HUMAN SPIRIT AND THE SENSE OF SHEER MADNESS WERE STAGGERING. THERE WAS NO WAY TO BELIEVE WHAT WE WERE SEEING. |
| WE TOOK THE PHOTO ON THE LEFT JUST BEFORE WE LEFT. IT'S HARDLY A CHEEKY TOURIST SHOT OF US STANDING IN FRONT OF THE DISASTER. IT'S US IN FRONT OF OUR HOMES, GENUINELY NOT SURE IF OUR NEIGHBORHOOD WOULD SURVIVE THE STILL RAGING DISASTER SCENE. |
| ELISA AND I WERE EVACUATED FOR THREE WEEKS. DURING THE FIRST WEEK, WE LIVED WITH MY SISTER ON E 80 ST. ON FRIDAY, 9-14, THERE WAS A CANDLELIGHT VIGIL. THE FOUNTAIN AT CENTRAL PARK WAS SURROUNDED BY SILENT, CRYING PEOPLE. BY FAR THE SADDEST SPOT WAS IN FRONT OF THE MANY FIREHOUSES IN THE AREA. EVERYONE MOURNED TOGETHER THERE FOR THE LOST FIREMEN AND FOR ALL THE OTHER VICTIMS. |
| I TOOK QUITE A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE ROOF OF OUR APARTMENT BUILDING. THE NIGHTTIME WAS MOST EERIE BECAUSE OF THE LOUDNESS OF ALL THE RESCUE AND CONSTRUCTION VEHICLES AND MACHINERY. |
| MY OFFICE IS AT THE CORNER OF BROADWAY AND BARCLAY STREET, EVEN CLOSER TO THE WTC THAN OUR APARTMENT. I SPENT QUITE A BIT OF REFLECTIVE TIME ON A SMALL BALCONY ON THE 32ND FLOOR OF MY OFFICE BUILDING. ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS MOST EERIE AT NIGHT, ALTHOUGH THE IMMENSE SIZE OF THE WTC SITE, AND THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DESTRUCTION WAS MOST EVIDENT DURING THE DAY. TO THE LEFT ARE PHOTOS OF THE WORLD FINANCIAL CENTER, INCLUDING THE DEVASTATED WINTERGARDEN. THE WINTERGARDEN IS A MAGNIFICENT SPACE WITH HIGH GLASS CEILINGS AND INDOOR PALM TREES AND PUBLIC SPACE FOR LOUNGING, CONCERTS, ETC. INCREDIBLY, THEY'VE COMPLETELY REBUILT IT AND IT IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN ON OR NEAR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE ATTACKS. THE NY TIMES DID A NICE ARTICLE ABOUT IT RECENTLY. |
| FOR MONTHS EVERYWHERE YOU WALKED IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD, THERE WAS WRECKAGE AT THE END OF THE BLOCK. |
| click on the photos to view. |