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was full of adrenaline, and my mind was factoring over different
scenarios within what must have been a few eye blinks.
I recalled seeing a cable show a few weeks back that talked
about how the towers were built, their structural make up,
and particularly their height. I recalled the narrative saying
the buildings were so tall that if they were to tip over, it would
hit or shake new Jersey, I don't recall the exact words, but
the meaning stuck with me. It became a dominant thought
in my head.
I ran for the stairs. I was not the only one. I could hear
someone shout that there was a fire. It became very crowded,
but the exit at this early time was still orderly.
A small crowd started congregating outside the Marriott
WTC, which was situated right between the two main towers
of the World Trade Center area connecting the two buildings.
People were dismayed and trying to figure out what was going
on. Across the street was the Hudson River. My mind was
still in worst case scenario mode; I thought if anything really
happened to the buildings here it would be safer by the water
than close to the buildings, and I imagined myself jumping in
to prepare myself mentally.
I looked around, people were not moving. even worse,
joggers and nearby pedestrians were heading ToWARD the
buildings to see what the commotion was about. I thought,
this is madness!
I shouted as loud as I could, "If this building falls it will hit
new Jersey! Run!" A lady screamed. I then started running
toward the waters of the Hudson alongside northern Battery
Park, and others did too. I just wanted to get away far enough
to assess the situation from a position of safety.
And I kept running. Looking back, I could see dark smoke
start to form; it wasn't a good sign. The fear came back, but
so did the need to act. It was still early, and the mobile phone
networks had not yet jammed up. I called my sister to let her
know that I was ok, that she may see new York in the news,
but that I was not in the towers, more importantly that I loved
everyone and that she should relay this message to our family
members and especially my mom.
I needed to get off the island, that was my dominant
thought. I headed toward Chelsea Piers, to the ferries I knew
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