I was on the observation deck of the WTC in June of 2001, on my first trip to NYC. The towers were an iconic symbol of the city that I took home with me. And what a view. The WTC viewing deck was on the roof - a rectangular catwalk - so you could literally stand in one spot, turn your body 360 degrees, and take in 360 degrees of skyline and horizon. I imagine there aren't too many spots on earth that could/can afford you a panoramic view like that. So high up, looking down the giant ships roaming the Hudson river were just specks, their wakes just wisps of white against the water. Even the Empire State Building, a few dozen blocks uptown, looked small from the roof of the WTC.
The morning of Sept. 11, I was sleeping late. A buddy of mine called me and woke me, told me to turn on the TV, and I'll never forget his words: "The sh-t is hitting the fan." I couldn't believe what I saw on CNN - by the time I tuned in the first tower had gone down, and the other was close - I thought for sure I was still asleep at first. The sick feeling I had in my stomach as I watched the events unfold is one that I will never forget. It's still surreal, when I think back to it. I was pretty traumatized for a while after, and I remember for the next few days putting on goofy cartoons at night before bed to calm myself down. I wonder if everything would have hit as close to home as it did if I hadn't just been in NYC a couple of months prior.
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