Where were you on 9/11/2001 when NYC and DC were attacked?

[smahala1991]

I was in 5th grade in gym class

[NYCQuestions1976]

On Monday, 9/10/2001, I was 25 years old, and living a pretty fun life. I was on-and-off with a pretty hot blonde girl. I had season tickets for the New York Yankees since 1998, and had been to every home playoff and World Series game the prior 3 seasons. I was looking forward to the 2001 baseball postseason, as well as the New York Giants regular season. They had been in the Super Bowl just 8 months ago. I was enjoying being a fun cousin, as my cousin and her husband had 5 little ones (8, almost 7, 4½, 3, and 10 months). I would take the older ones to regular season and playoff games from time-to-time.

As for employment, I had been working full-time overnights for Lucent Technologies for about 18 months and was released with severance pay when they had their 25,000 personnel layoff a few weeks prior in July 2001. I had submitted an application for Union employment in New York City (the career I currently have) on behest of my cousin-in-law, who was already in this Union and working at the World Trade Center. In the meantime, I found temporary work at another overnight job, filling and occasionally driving a delivery truck at a centralized distribution center, while waiting on a response to my Union application.

I was scheduled to work the overnight on Monday, 9/10/2001 at 11:30m. The New York Yankees were scheduled to host the Boston Red Sox at 7pm or 7:30pm. Roger Clemens against Pedro Martinez. It was going to be a sellout crowd. The New York Giants were starting the new NFL season on Monday Night Football at Mile High Stadium against the Denver Broncos. My plan was to attend the Yankees game, leave early, switch between the Yankees and Giants in the car, and go to work. Well, I went to the game, and it was delayed and eventually postponed, because of heavy rain. I still remember Bob Sheppard's announcement:

"Ladies and gentlemen, tonight's game between the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox has been postponed. Please leave the Stadium in an orderly fashion, and arrive home safely."

Now that I had some time to kill, I went to Stan's Restaurant (bar) across the street to watch the start of the Monday night football game between the Giants and Broncos. Ed McCaffrey (yes, Christian McCaffrey's father), a wide receiver for the Broncos, broke his leg early in the 3rd quarter, and I left right after that. The Giants would eventually lose the game, 31-20. I remember speaking to my friend on my Motorola flip phone on my way to work, as he complained to me, "The players on my (fantasy) team always get hurt." Although I believe he also dropped a few F-bombs in that sentence.

I barely got to work on time that night, and worked an unremarkable shift. I got off of work at 7:30am, drove home with the New York City skyline on the horizon as always, and was home by 8:15am. It was Tuesday, September 11, 2001.

Continued ⬇️

[NYCQuestions1976]

At around 8:50am, my Father comes downstairs to check his e-mail on the house computer before going to work. He tells me to put the news on, because a plane had just flown into the World Trade Center. I had been watching the Weather Channel to see the latest on Hurricane Erin. I put on WNEW, and they're showing the North Tower smoking from their traffic helicopter. I'm thinking to myself, "Great. Some idiot who had no business flying lost control of his/her tiny plane, and just killed a lot of innocent people." Then at 9am my Father and I hear a loud plane fly overhead (we were living in New Jersey, just south of New York City). I said to him, "Damn. They were low." We didn't think anything of it, because planes few pretty low over us from time-to-time where we are (near Earle Naval Station, and not far from McGuire Air Force Base). As I'm watching this unfold, and still believing it was an accident, I started to say to my Father as he's looking at his e-mails, "Do we really need..." Suddenly, another plane flies onto the screen and hits the South Tower. I yell, "Another plane just hit the other tower!" My Father turns immediately from the computer, "What?" I look at him and go, "That was on fucking purpose!" My Father says nothing. We watch for a few more minutes in silence, and then my Father gets up and says to me, "I need to get to work. Turn off the computer for me." He pauses for a moment. "Make sure your mother and brother don't go anywhere today. Stay home." I did, and watched as the Pentagon was attacked with another plane, the South Tower collapsed, another plane crashed in Pennsylvania, and the North Tower collapsed. Later on, after being hit with debris from the Twin Towers and burning uncontrollably for hours, 7 World Trade Center also collapsed.

Continued ⬇️

[NYCQuestions1976]

I watched. All day. In utter disbelief and anger. I even watched the President Of The United States hold back tears in one of his initial responses, before he formally addressed the nation later that night.

That evening, my family and I found out from my cousin that her husband had managed to evacuate from one of the basements of the South Tower after the North Tower was hit, and got far enough away before the towers collapsed. He didn't wind up getting home until the next day, because all of the bridges, tunnels, and all other transportation in and out of Manhattan, other than ferry getting out, had been shut down after the South Tower was hit. At the time, my cousin-in-law was the only person I knew who was in either tower (since then, I've met and worked with many others over the last 2 decades who were there and/or lost a loved one).

Later that night, I also found out from a friend that three mutual friends who were working in other areas of Manhattan were finally able to get out by ferry. I went to pick them up in silence, and drove them all home while we all said and asked different variations of, "What the hell happened today?" to one another.

Continued ⬇️

[NYCQuestions1976]

After I got all my friends home, I called out of work that night, because most of the trucks at the distribution center were filled with deliveries that were going to or from the World Trade Center. After what happened, who knows what I could be potentially handling? The next day I quit.

In the following days, I tried to get into the city to help with the recovery, but unless you were already working in one of the construction trades prior to the attacks, or had some sort of emergency response training, you weren't allowed near what would soon be known as Ground Zero.

My Union application was finally accepted the following year, and I was approved for work, training, and the apprenticeship the year after that. It is my career to this day, and it's how I've been lucky enough to meet and work with survivors from that day. I'm also lucky, because I lost no personal loved ones that day.

Other than the birth of my son, no other 30 hours of time from any point in my life will ever be burned into my memory with any clearer or vivid detail.

[NYCQuestions1976]

Thanks for Most Superb. 👍

[Floppy2112]

In a car wash on my way to work. I heard it on the radio and at first I thought it was some sort of morning show joke, but they weren't laughing and their entire demeanor instantly changed. I could tell in traffic on the way to work, who knew and who didn't. Some people were completely oblivious, others were visibly horrified.
I instantly knew two things. The world had permanently changed and we were going to war.
I could not see how the world would change and how that war would end. Both took the most sinister and darkest possible paths imaginable. I never dreamed that it would be a bunch of goat herders from Afghanistan that finally knocked the U. S. from the dominant position of world super-power to just another army, but they did it. One has to give them props, they knew they could outlast us and they did. They could never have dreamed they'd get to humiliate us and weaken us to the degree they got to.
The historical precedents aren't good. Every empire that fought and lost there, shortly after, collapsed.

[wineme2014]

I was 14 at the time. My brothers turned the TV on in the morning and it was on the news channel so we saw it right away. The first plane just hit. Everyone thought it was not intentional until the 2nd hit. We came home after school and sat watching the news all day. I remember the news anchors looking so tired. Like it was an election day. So strange.

[TessP]

I was at home, and I didn't understand any of it.

Hey, are you the guy that posted a thread a couple of years ago about Christmas lights?

[OlderAndWiser]

I was in my car, driving to work, when I first heard radio news coverage of the first plane hitting the WTC.

[ChrisMaster69]

From a previous question, bit of copying n pasting lol.

Was at a Royal Air Force base, a friend and I were walking to see some friends in a hangar.

In the crew room, on TV was this movie with a plane just flying into an skyscraper.

we popped in to and we were told it was actually real and happening.

I got a call from my boss.

The base then started launching Quick Reaction Alert cabs and we started prepping the base for airliners returning back to the UK or those forced to land.

A rather long and busy day and night,

[CaptainSmartass]

It was the end of the school day here. As it's my birthday that day, we'd gone to see a family friend and pick up some presents and have a chat. They had Cartoon Network on, so I was watching that.

When we got home, I went to put the kids' programmes on on BBC 1 after opening some more presents. It was the footage of the attack. I thought it was some weird movie. I then switched over to ITV 1. Same thing. Bit odd, I thought. They're both showing the same movie. Then I decided to stick Cartoon Network back on, until we went out for dinner and to watch a movie.

Simples...

[Titanic1912]

I was in kindergarten when the news came on the P. A. System in school. But the question should’ve been worded like this: “Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning On That September Day?”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/gPHnadJ-0hE

[dustybiker]

I was working with children. It was hard trying to watch the news to keep updated and make sure they weren’t absorbing it. The moments between 1st and second plane.. and after. All of it. It felt so unreal.

[madgoat]

At work. Half way around the planet. And everyone in the lab had their TV's on and were watching events unfold in genuine shock.

[Cherry234]

I didn't know what was going on at the time. I was only 3 years old so I have no memory of it

[RolandCuthbert]

I was driving to my job in downtown Chicago. I was listening to Mancow in the morning and he was screaming that this was WWIII. Because its Mancow, I just switched stations. I pulled up an R&B station and they were doing live reporting from New York.

[Andres77]

I was on an air force base in a parachute harness waiting for a plane to show up so we could do a parachute jump.
Then all flights got grounded... so we went back to our team room to watch the news.

[Григорий]

I was not alive however my father was in the city that day. Only a few blocks away. After it happened he went outside and saw the fire trucks going south (towards the towers). 5th ave is a major road and is four lanes in total. He said their faces were filled with so much distress. You used to be able to see the towers when you looked south on 5th ave as they were in the middle of the skyline perfectly In view. He saw them collapse.
A horrible day.

[Григорий]

They were on heading south on 5th ave because the major access “highway” that wraps around the islands perimeter (FDR highway) was closed.

[Григорий]

I’ll have to ask him so more questions about it. Please ask me any questions and I’ll ask him

[DaveToo]

I was sitting in a Honda dealership waiting for my vehicle's service to be completed.

[NaultD]

Asleep at 5am local time. 2nd grade i think. Probably took a day before telling us kids. The shock was over before we woke up and alaska is really far from the east coast.

[Still-alive]

just starting senior year on my way to school. heard the 2nd tower fall live on my car radio

[Passion_Devil]

I was at school. I was bored in class as usual. That made the day pretty interesting. It took some seconds to register that planes flew in a building just like that.

[Whatthefluff]

Hmm
Memory fails me. . .

[IAMNathanael]

I had just turned 5 the month before. I don't remember where or what I was doing. I was probably at my grandparents house.

[GoodGuyBreakingBad]

I was in my living room with my niece was 1 month 9 days old and we put the TV on and seen what was going on

[jennifer_bloom]

I was at my high school in grade 10 English I think or grade 11

[SaoirseS]

I was two, almost three years old. I don’t remember it.

[qwert1234]

I was asleep on the other side of the planet. Woke up to the news, thought it's a trailer for another alien movie.. But no. :

[ElizaPam]

2nd grade I’ll never forget the teachers telling us then watching Bush address the nation 😔

[jshm2]

In my office, laughing. Then turned on the TV and laughed some more.

[Jaysonava]

Asleep in Auckland New Zealand. I heard the news when I got up

[tomtom05131]

I was at work and my ex called to tell me. One of our employees, i didn’t personally know him, was on the second plane to hit the towers.

[princeofromance]

I was in my bedroom waking up to my brother watching it on the news.

[legalboxers]

I was in NYC.. going to class. seeing the 2nd plane going in

[SmokinAces2000]

Most likely in a high chair rubbing baby food all over my face

[Renzonia_II]

I was probably taking my afternoon nap, since I was about a year and a half of age, and it was ca 3 pm where I live

[Grubhub]

Lmfao same grade as you my man. I thought you were like 22 or something. You look younger. 👍

[tatianamay]

I wasn't even born lmao

[Koppi00]

1 year old, in... most likely in my house.

[Agape93]

School but I don't remember the class

[VDrago14]

I was in high school Algebra

[KrazyGirl70]

In the in the womb, wasn’t even born yet.

[KrazyGirl70]

In the womb* silly typo sorry about that

[Aquariusmystery]

I don’t know I was like 19 months old lol

[OddBeMe]

I think I was in 5th grade too.

[DaviRon]

2nd grade in another country.

[douride2]

I was at work.

[ChloeStarlight]

I don’t remember

[shortster]

In college.

[msc545]

In Europe.