Union Square is about 40 blocks north of the WTC. It is directly on the north side of 14th street between Broadway and Park Avenue South. (it is between 14th street and 16th street - north/south) I work exactly 4 blocks to the west (and one block north) at 15th street and 8th avenue. I watched the aftermath of the attacks from my 14th floor office panoramic window which faces south. I saw the towers burn and the first tower fall before being evacuated. It was beyond horrible.
I called my dad from my office at about 9:30 since I knew he never turns on the TV before 6pm. The phones stopped working for long-distance soon after that. I tried to call him again but to no avail. After we were evacuated I went with a co-worker to her apartment at 12th street, a block or so away from St. Vincent's, (this was the closest trauma center and 7th avenue is a direct path down to the WTC). It was wild in the streets...eerily quiet except for the gasps, whispers and sirens...people were in in shock, I think. I know I was. You don't see something like that and not "feel" it. Otherwise though, it was a gorgeous, sunny & hot day. The sky was brilliant blue - a very bright, deep blue. It was almost like a Mediterranean sky...except for the giant billowing blackest of black smoke rising from downtown.
All I could think about while watching the Towers fall was of the fear and the unbelievable horror of it all. I thought of the poor people inside and prayed that many had escaped and prayed for the souls of those who could not. I felt that I was watching a movie - because it could not be real. But I knew it was and so I prayed and prayed and I must have crossed myself over a thousand times that day. I tried to remain calm but at times couldn't help but cry to myself (that I, a 32 year old woman, wanted her Mommy and Daddy since they always make everything ok) and allow the tears to flow.
I set out for home, which is across the East River in Queens. The trains (subways) were shut down and the bridges were closed so I walked north towards the 59th street bridge. I wuld stop and look back wishing that the view would go back to the way it was supposed to be...the magnificent Twin Towers shining under the brilliant September sun with the deep, blue sky above. It was not to be. The smoke continued to billow and the sirens coninued to wail. People on the corner cried and stared downtown and hugged eachother. I heard more than a few people say, "Today is the day I start to smoke!" I had to chuckle...but then felt that I shouldn't...maybe it wasn't appropriate...but then I thought, NO, This is America and I am free to laugh or cry if I want to.
I walked home. I walked about ten miles home that day and found myself singing "It's the End of the World As We Know It" by REM for half the way...but then I switched to "America (the beautiful)"...and I walked, and walked...onwards towards home.
I didn't have a political thought in my head that day except for when I thanked the good Lord that George W. Bush was our president and that Rudy Guilliani was our mayor. I prayed that they were OK and that we would ALL be ok. I knew we were at war.
I will never forget that day for as long as I live. I am proud of my great country and I am so very proud of my president. I will die for the USA and for my fellow citizens and for the future generations of this great land. God bless America!
Chelsea Clinton is only one of MILLIONS of stories in NYC that day...and by the way, didn't Hillary tell some story that Chelsea had gone jogging down at the WTC that morning while it was happening? I seem to recall that...hmmmm.