Time for my $.02...

I was one block from the WTC on 9/11.  I was lucky enough to be in my
office at 8:46 because I'd just moved to Long Island and decided to go into work
an hour earlier than normal.  Because of that decision, I was in the WTC at
around 7:45AM instead of 8:45AM.  My office (on Barclay Street) is (was)
directly across the street from 7 WTC.

I was with several co-workers and went to our building's cafeteria to see
what had happened.  We had a remarkable view of the impact to the north
tower, then went downstairs to our cubicles to grab radios or get internet
news.  While trying to get info, the second tower was hit.

Our security personnel (not known for competence - MY opinion) instructed us
to stay inside, off the phones, and on the SOUTH side of the building (AWAY from
the WTC).  We were told NOT to leave the building.  In this case, I
think they made the right decision, since 4,000 more people walking around lower
Manhattan could raised the death toll higher.

We were evacuated after the first tower collapsed.  I walked up
Greenwich street (northbound - away from the action) and was around one mile
from WTC when the second tower collapsed.  I'd stopped to listen to a radio
being played by someone standing on a street corner, turned south to look, and
watched the north tower disappear.  

I ended up meeting a co-worker who'd evacuated the building too, and we
walked to Penn Station.  At that time  (probably around 12:00 PM),
there were no trains running, so we waited around outside Penn Station, sat,
rested, and listened to my headphones for the latest news.  We decided to
walk the 59th Street Bridge to Queens (where my co-worker lives) and get to her
apartment.  The "E" train was running by the time we made it to
53rd Street, so we took a VERY crowded train to her stop and got back to her
apartment by 5:00PM or so.  We rested there for a while then I caught a bus
to the Queens/Nassau border where my parents picked me up.  I didn't get
back to their house until around 7:30PM.

I can't help but feel lucky to have walked away from the devastation
unscathed.  Friends wondered how I managed to deal with it.  I simply
told them that I was OK.  I was feeling too sorry for the REAL victims to
feel sorry for myself.

I ended up with an unexpected two week vacation as my company decided how to
handle relocations.  I spent a month or so in our northern New Jersey
office, three months on Broadway and 51st Street, and four months on 51st Street
and Sixth Avenue.  We relocated back downtown at the end of June.  I'm
not at my old building, but two blocks away with a direct view of "ground
zero" (jeez, I HATE that name).

My most lasting impression of 9/11 (other than the destruction), was how
people came together.  Cars were parked with windows down and news stations
cranked, others were using portable radios on the streets, and people gathered
around for updates.  Businesses north of WTC opened their doors to provide
rest rooms and water to those coming from downtown.  Unfortunately, stuff
like that didn't last.  We're back to our self-absorbed bickering selves...

I suspect that everyone knows someone who knew someone, etc.  In my
case, it was my friend's brother.  He and his EMT partner were off that
day, but went in to help out.  They were both killed.  My manager is a
volunteer EMT.  He didn't show up for work on 9/11, and I called his home
that night to see if he was OK.  His wife told me he went there and helped
out, as did his volunteer EMT son.  They were both OK.

My company lost three employees.  None were based in the WTC, but may
have been passing through the trains or just outside when the bad stuff
happened.

Lastly, just to vent a bit more, as much as I appreciate seeing the pictures
of the WTC site, there's something I see daily that just infuriates me.  I
see families coming to visit the WTC site and they take photos like they're
visiting the Grand Canyon.  You know, husband takes picture of wife and
kids in front of the destruction while they smile and wave.  I *SO* want to
make a camera suppository every time I see that.

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking with it.

A few photos from outside my office immediately after 9/11.

A totaled UPS truck.

Above/below...1,900 broken windows.