[ST] My September 11.

["Harries, Mort" <mort.harries@xxxxxx>]

I don't often post, and I know there are thousands of stories out there more
poignant and dramatic than mine. But I somehow feel I have to write down
what happened to me that day, although I also feel I will never forget it.
So you're on the receiving end of my recollections - don't know if that's
good or bad!   Anyway, here's my story....

I don't know how much you know of the geography of Manhattan,  but
basically, the building I work in (or used to work in!) is on the East
River, while the WTC is on the Hudson.  If you walk directly east from the
WTC, you come to my building.  Distance between them is probably about half
a mile. 

Tuesday morning, as usual this summer when the weather has been fine, I rode
my ST into the city.  I got off to a fairly early start that morning to beat
the traffic, and took my usual route down the West side highway, past the
World Trade Center,  through the tunnel under Battery Park, and onto the
East Side to park just south of the South Street Seaport.  I remember
checking my watch as I got off the bike; it was 7:45am.

I got a coffee, and went upstairs.  My office is on the 40th floor of an
office building there, facing the river, but the other side has a clear view
of the WTC.  After working on some email, I was walking over to the other
side of the floor to use the bathroom, when the first plane hit.  I heard
this loud rumble, almost a vibration in the building, and people starting
crying "Oh my God, Oh My God".  I ran to the window, and there was a huge
gaping hole in the upper floors of the North Tower.  Someone said he'd seen
a plane crash into it.  I wasn't sure whether to believe this or not.  But
it was awful.  And nothing could explain the devastation we saw except that
a plane had hit it.  We all stood there in disbelief at the destruction.
There was papers and other debris floating in the air, and you could see
fires inside.  No one even mentioned terrorism.  It looked like a freak
accident.  

I went back to my desk, but couldn't work, so I went back to the window.
You could now see people jumping.  I was about to walk away because I
couldn't take it, when I looked at the other tower and saw the second plane
crash into it, and explode out the other side.  There's not a clear view of
the sky south of the WTC from our building;  some buildings close by block
it.  But there's a sliver of sky, then the South tower.  So no one saw the
plane coming.  Suddenly there was the plane in silhouette in that sliver of
sky, and then it crashed right into the tower.  Now everyone was really
scared.  Immediately it clicked with everyone that this was no accident, and
that there could be more such planes on the way.  Someone said "we're under
attack".  And everyone started heading for the elevators.  It occurred to me
and probably many others that our building - right on the East River and
with nothing of it's height between it and the Atlantic would be an easy
target if there were any other planes headed our way.   I ran back to my
office, and grabbed my helmet and tank bag and ran to the elevators.  We all
though better of it and took the stairs.  It didn't take long to get out
surprisingly enough.  I suppose people on lower floors hadn't seen what
happened and weren't getting out yet.  Pretty soon we were out on the
street.  

Every one was pretty shook up.  I heard many people say they were shaking.
There were now crowds of people milling about, and the sounds of emergency
vehicles everywhere.  Most everyone was just staring at the WTC in shock and
disbelief.  I found my boss and he said something like "I've had this
feeling before.... in Vietnam.  You're just wondering where the next one is
going to hit."   Not knowing what to do I got another coffee and had a
cigarette.  Then there was a loud rumbling, people started yelling and
running.  The south tower was collapsing.  I looked up the street, and there
was a huge greyish-white cloud of dust racing towards us.  Everyone
panicked, and started running toward the East River.  It's only about 100
yards away.  But we were all covered in white dust before we got there.  

After a little while, people started calming down and one by one started
walking north along South Street, me among them.  Many were evidently
planning on walking over the Brooklyn Bridge.  I passed my bike, and
realized in my rush to get out, although I'd grabbed my helmet and bag, I'd
left my jacket and with it, my keys up on the 40th floor!  No way I was
going to attempt to walk home and leave my bike here.  Even at that early
stage, I knew that once I left, I probably wouldn't be back for a while.  So
I headed into the South Street Seaport mall to get out of the dust.  (The
paper napkins I picked up when I got that second coffee were proving very
useful by now, as the air was thick with dust.)  I hung around in there for
about an hour, attempting to use the pay phones to call home, to no avail
("all circuits are busy now..").  

The dust had cleared a little by now, and I decided to see if I could get
back into my building.  First I wanted to see if I could call home and let
Hilde (my wife) know I was OK, and second I wanted to get my motorcycle
keys!  If I had to evacuate this area, damned if I was going to leave my
bike down here covered in dust and a target for looters or vandals.  To my
surprise, they not only let me back in the building, but let me go up to the
40th floor in the elevator.  Like nothing had happened!  I got there and
found some of my co-workers had returned too.  I did manage to get through
to Hilde now and reassure her that I was OK.  I also tried calling all my
family members in the UK, but couldn't get through.  But I was able to call
our office in London, and had a friend there call my sister to let them know
I was OK.  We sat around for a few hours listening to the radio for news of
what's happening, and hearing all kinds of rumors about other attacks and
bombs all of which proved groundless.   Most roads, bridges tunnels etc were
now closed - including all those to New Jersey.  But I figured I might be
able to find my way home by working my way through the streets of Manhattan
then through the Bronx to the NY State Thruway.  That way I could head north
of the city, go over the TappanZee Bridge, and then back south to Jersey.  

So about 2:30 I headed out.  Wiped some of the worst dust off the bike
(someone had written "Help me" in the dust on the seat), said a prayer and
pressed the starter.  It started right up, (thank you, Triumph!).  I headed
north along South Street, and soon hit a police roadblock.  Keeping the bike
heading west and north, I wound my way through Chinatown and the Lower East
Side to 14th street.  Another road block.  Went west, and got to 6th Ave.
Took that north all the way to 55th street.  That was eerie;  Riding right
through mid town Manhattan in the middle of the day, with practically no
traffic.  Got a few stares and knowing nods from strangers at stop lights
when they saw both me and my bike were covered in grey-white dust.  I got to
the West Side Highway, and found it not only open, but practically empty, so
made good time to the GW Bridge, which all the news reports said was closed.
But when I got there it was open for traffic leaving the city.  So I took
it, saving me a long detour.  Really glad I was on a bike too, as the cars &
trucks were more stopped than moving, but lane splitting kept me going at a
decent pace.

Rest of the trip pretty uneventful.  The Palisades parkway was practically
empty.  Got home in a little over an hour to a lot of hugging of Hilde and
the kids.  Glad to be alive, and with the sad thought, that great as our
problems seem, they are nothing to what thousands of others are going though
right now.  

Don't take life for granted.  It's too precious. Live it now!

Mort Harries
Haworth NJ
'00 ST

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