I remember the day very clearly. It was a bright sunny warm day. It was wonderful in fact. I was off work that day. I was going to have a physical. I walked up to my doctor's office at DuPont Circle.
I was a little early and stopped off at what is now a Cosi near the office. The TV was on and they showed the top of the Twin Towers. It took me a while to realize what I was seeing. I knew I should know what was on the the TV but it took a while for my mind to understand what was going on. They were on fire. I found out from someone that planes had hit the Towers. How was that possible?
I went to my doctor's office and checked in. People at the office were aware of what was going on. I think it was at this time that someone came in a said the Pentagon had been hit too. A guy sitting next to me asked what was going on. I told him. He immediately got on his cell phone to try and contact someone. I knew he was going to have problems with that one.
I was shown in to an exam room. There was a TV on. Just when my doctor walked in the first Tower collapsed. We looked at each other and I said we can do this another time. He asked if I was sure; I said I was.
I then walked back down to my office. I was walking south; everyone else was walking north. It was not easy. And in a it's a small world moment I ran into someone that I had worked with at the World Bank.
I went back to the office to see if anyone might want to wait out the crowds at my apartment. There was no one there. So I walked back to my apartment in Foggy Bottom and turned on the news. I also tried to get in touch with people. It proved a little tricky but eventually I was able to contact everyone.
Below is the front page of the Washington Post from September 12, 2001. The headline says it all.
No comments:
Post a Comment