We share that 9/11 memory. I lost a young, married woman who was a neighbor in our condo apt. building. One of our close friends was the Building Mgr. for the Trade Center. His wife and Rita were holding their breath until his wife heard from him mid-day. He was on the 82d floor when the plane hit and was part of the group of tenants led by one of the building's maintenance supervisors around the smoke and flames to an available staircase that they used to exit. Exiting the building, he walked to try to find a pay phone. As one of the towers started to collapse, he managed to scoot into a Nedicks' store. In a minute or so, smoke and debris started to follow his exit path as if to chase him, The store had an open service counter and someone managed to shut down the aluminum front shutter pull down. Still, everyone was covered with soot. Two U.S. Navy guys in white uniforms showed as totally black when the shutter was eventually opened. He then walked from there to Grand Central Station as there were no taxis, buses or subways working. Worse yet, none of the pay phones were working. He finally was able to call home at a pay phone in the GSC and get a commuter train home in the mid afternoon. And this was his second brush with terrorists. He was the building mgr. back when two men parked a truck loaded with petroleum in the Trade Center building underground garage where it was ignited and exploded. Fortunately, it damaged a lot of parked vehicles and smoke damage to walls, etc., but all was promptly extinguished by building personnel before there was any structural damage. Finally, as I was on the bridge that morning coming home in Yonkers from the YMCA pool in Mt. Vernon, I saw the smoke pouring from NYC. I got home in time to see the plane strike the second tower on TV. That is a scene I will never forget/
The short answer is yes. He had a business in the WTC and was moving to new offices nearby on 1 October. They were in the process of moving all their records from one place to another, before the movers took all the furniture at the end of the month. The night before, he had a car full of boxes and was too tired to move them, so he was unloading a few blocks away. It was a small company of 18 people, and all of them were at the other building. Even more lucky, his wife had a breakfast meeting at the restaurant at the top of the WTC, but their youngest son overslept, missed the school bus, and she had to drive him to school. Meaning she missed her train in from Jersey. She saw the towers hit from across the Hudson.
We share that 9/11 memory. I lost a young, married woman who was a neighbor in our condo apt. building. One of our close friends was the Building Mgr. for the Trade Center. His wife and Rita were holding their breath until his wife heard from him mid-day. He was on the 82d floor when the plane hit and was part of the group of tenants led by one of the building's maintenance supervisors around the smoke and flames to an available staircase that they used to exit. Exiting the building, he walked to try to find a pay phone. As one of the towers started to collapse, he managed to scoot into a Nedicks' store. In a minute or so, smoke and debris started to follow his exit path as if to chase him, The store had an open service counter and someone managed to shut down the aluminum front shutter pull down. Still, everyone was covered with soot. Two U.S. Navy guys in white uniforms showed as totally black when the shutter was eventually opened. He then walked from there to Grand Central Station as there were no taxis, buses or subways working. Worse yet, none of the pay phones were working. He finally was able to call home at a pay phone in the GSC and get a commuter train home in the mid afternoon. And this was his second brush with terrorists. He was the building mgr. back when two men parked a truck loaded with petroleum in the Trade Center building underground garage where it was ignited and exploded. Fortunately, it damaged a lot of parked vehicles and smoke damage to walls, etc., but all was promptly extinguished by building personnel before there was any structural damage. Finally, as I was on the bridge that morning coming home in Yonkers from the YMCA pool in Mt. Vernon, I saw the smoke pouring from NYC. I got home in time to see the plane strike the second tower on TV. That is a scene I will never forget/
Sending hugs, unc.
Did your brother make it out?
The short answer is yes. He had a business in the WTC and was moving to new offices nearby on 1 October. They were in the process of moving all their records from one place to another, before the movers took all the furniture at the end of the month. The night before, he had a car full of boxes and was too tired to move them, so he was unloading a few blocks away. It was a small company of 18 people, and all of them were at the other building. Even more lucky, his wife had a breakfast meeting at the restaurant at the top of the WTC, but their youngest son overslept, missed the school bus, and she had to drive him to school. Meaning she missed her train in from Jersey. She saw the towers hit from across the Hudson.
I’m so glad to hear that, Jessica.