Sadly, i witnessed them come down on that clear blue September day. I could see the smoke from my classroom in college. My father was supposed to meet a client in the 1st tower that morning, but canceled (thank God), but i know many who lost friends and family.
I'll never forget the silence in the air as all air traffic was grounded. The smell of burnt bodies and building material filled the subway lines. At night, Ground Zero was illuminated with a fiery red and orange glow. Fires still burning a month later. It looked like a war zone in lower Manhattan. National Guard on every corner. and eirie silence fought with a city that wanted to get back to "normal".
That week I was suppose to photograph the towers for a personal assignment. the last show i took of them was on August 18th, 2001. I regret not going to the top again. it was very hot, humid and the lines were long.
If you've ever been to the top of the towers, you would never forget how they swayed in the breeze ever so gently. I saw for miles on a clear day. Their silhouettes visible in the morning haze from 20 miles away. There was total silence on top. no hustle, no bustle...silence. I put my head on the glass and looked down... man i was high up!
A bottle of ash is all i have left...and some photos.
I had the privilege of being at ground zero on the 1 year anniversary. I was there before the crowds just watching. The sun rose above the buildings that once stood in their shadow. A hole was all that was left. I witnessed the emotion. the crying and wailing of victims and witnesses. It was a moving day.
My heart broke once again for those who's lives ended that day, and rejoiced for those who lived to see another day.
I worked for my colleges newspaper as the chief photographer, so i was at ground zero a lot. my work on this memorial has been published internationally....here are just a few....
ground zero...a few days later. you can still see the skeleton
An artist named Delavega drew this in chalk all over the city on the sidewalks on the one year aniversary.
This is what it looked like at ground zero one year to the day
approaching Manhattan early in the morning.
the crowds...crying...morning. sniffling was the common sound.
this photo (crappy) was taken just a few months after the towers fell and on the night they turned on the lights...
the sculpture that once sat in the square between towers 1 and 2 now rests in battery park
this cross was found standing upright amidst the wreckage. it still stands at ground zero today.
young girls..who possibly lost their FDNY father
Lower Manhattan from Brooklyn on the 3 year anniversary. Helicopter circles this hallowed ground and dropped paper into the lights.
this was taken on the 7/4/06.