About The Day New York Stood Still
On September 11, 2001, two airplanes piloted by terrorists struck the World Trade Center in Manhattan, changing the face of America forever. The daily lives of New Yorkers were changed as well, sometimes in the most personal of ways. This site is about those personal stories.
With THE DAY NY STOOD STILL we hope to create a library of memories of September 11. So that future generations can know what it was really like to be there and be affected by the events of that day.
This blog has been set up as a way for New Yorkers to share their stories and create discussions. We encourage you to write us, and thank you for being a part of a wonderful community called New York City. If you would like to write your story, please write it in the comments section below. Thank you.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:09 pm
This is really a wonderful idea. How can we contribute our stories to the site?
September 15th, 2007 at 6:54 am
Hi Jeanette,
Just write your story in the comments. Thanks.
November 14th, 2007 at 3:28 pm
On an unusual day, having already made the trip out earlier that morning, I was on a bus heading into New York from New Jersey. I switched my radio on as I saw the smoke rising over the final hill approaching the Lincoln Tunnel. As we rounded the last bend before the decent to the tolls we could all see that it was the north tower of the World Trade Center that was the source of the smoke. The sleepy murmurs started to rise as everyone nudged the next person and speculated what had happened. It is a cliché, but it looked like a movie, part slow motion, so distant and removed from those watching a few miles away. At this point the news was still unsure, thinking it was a small plane. From across the river the smoke seemed too large to be from a small plane, but it was such an unusual site that it was hard to comprehend what exactly had happened. As we slowly moved along to the toll everyone creaked their neck to see what ever they could. We entered the tunnel and lost contact with the outside world. I find it odd that by the time we exited the tunnel a few minutes later, with little traffic to hold us up, the whole world would have changed. Our driver announced to us the moment we were in radio contact that the second plane had hit the south tower. After the gasping breaths from the other riders, my memory of the next hour is of a deafening silence, as if a loud explosion had just gone off near me and all I could hear was the hollow echoed voices screaming at me but not audible. I don’t remember any noise as I continued on my way to the subway, still thinking it to be an accident. I don’t remember any noise as I got out of the station, later to find out I was on the last train to make it to Madison Square before the system was shut down. The streets were packed with people watching, taping, shooting and just trembling before what was now a very close and real scene of flames and smoke erupting from the towers. It was no longer a movie, I thought I could feel the fire—I certainly felt like I could touch it. I had looked down Fifth Avenue for many years at the towers, I never thought in a million years that this would be the last time I ever saw them. I felt the need to continue with my day, go about my work, make sure I wasn’t distracted by disaster. I hate rubber-neckers, and at that point this was an accident. Though I abhor the business as usual mentality that swept the city the days and weeks following, at that moment I refused to believe it was anything more than an accident and that everyone should be ashamed for staring at tragedy. I entered the building and went to work earlier than most of the staff that would normally arrive shortly after. They never made it in that day. We started our task for the day, with an event scheduled that afternoon, and listened to the radio. It was still silent. I know people spoke to me, but I couldn’t hear a thing. The mind does strange things. I didn’t hear anything until the broadcaster announced that the first tower fell, and then not too much later, the second tower. We all slowly stopped doing what we were doing, having just gone through the motions of work. The first normal words that I heard were of the plans for leaving work that day and when we might return. Having no real need for assistance I chose to walk uptown. I left the building and never looked south. I had never seen the streets crowded with people like this before. Along the way it was as if school had gotten out early. No one had responsibility for the day. Store owners were closing up shop, some were boarding up for looters—things were changing. New rumors of confirmed crashes in LA and London were being spread through the crowds. I never thought it could be paranoia. I never thought a building could fall down like that. I watched as avenues were closed off to cars and pedestrians for emergency use, not to reopen for days. New York never felt so small to me. From that day on I knew I would be permanently tied to this city.