September 11th, 2001

Today is the 8th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centers in New York. As many media outlets reflect on the attacks, I'm sure many people are also doing so as well. Among the things people are discussing is "How did you find out about the attacks" or "What were you doing when the attacks occurred?"

Back in September of 2001, my work schedule was Monday through Friday 7 AM to 3:30 PM (Pacific Standard Time). My offices were 40+ miles away from home (one way). I had the option to drive or take public transit to work. Regardless of which option I took, it was a brutal commute either way. I decided to take the public transit option. I figured I could get some sleep while commuting.

September 11th, 2001 began like any other work day. As I had to use public transit, I got up around 4:15 AM to 4:30 AM so I could catch a train around 5 AM. The train ride to my destination took about 50+ minutes and I exited the train station right around 6 AM. Once I got off the train, I had to wait about 15 minutes for a shuttle to take me to the office. Because of traffic, the shuttle usually took about 30 to 40 minutes. I got off the bus around 6:50 AM and entered my building a few minutes before 7 AM.

Obviously, as I was commuting, the attacks in New York had occurred. However, I was unaware that anything had occurred. Other passengers on the train and bus did not gave indication that anything major had occurred either. Unlike 2009, mobile web browsing via Blackberries and IPhones were not available in 2001. The only way anyone would have known about the attacks would be to talk to someone via cell phone or perhaps listen to radio reports. Given that is early in the morning on the West Coast, most people (including me) on the train and bus were content to just sleep.

My first indication that something major had occurred was when I walked into my office. One of my co-workers immediate asked me: "Hey, did you know a plane hit the World Trade Center?" I told him "No, I didn't hear anything". My co-worker indicated that he knew something happened, but details were lacking.

After this brief discussion, I started to wonder what had happened. My first thought was that it must have been an accident. My second thought was that the plane probably was pretty small. I just couldn't imagine an airliner "accidentally" hitting a building unless it was some major problem.

The second indication that something major had occurred was when I went to read news sites on the Internet to see what had happened in New York. First, I went to local news sites on the West Coast. The local sites were accessible but had minimal information on the situation. I then went to a CNN's website. IT WAS INACCESSIBLE. I tried a few other national news sites and ran into the same problem.

From there, I knew there was something major happening. The rest of the day went by like a blur. The news slowly started filtering out from the East Coast to other parts of the country. As my other co-workers started to filter into the office, our focus shifted from our jobs to the situation in New York.

Despite the grim situation in New York and the fact that business was slow, my co-workers and I were told we couldn't leave work early. In a way, that might have been a good thing. On such a terrible day, it was good to have people to talk to. The day at the office went by quickly and ended quietly. I was going to take public transit back home. However, a co-worker who lived relatively close to me offered to drive me instead. He figured that might be a safe thing to do given that security all around the country would be tight.

After getting home, I remember watching the news coverage on the attacks for hours. I was just mesmerized and stunned by what happened. This was definitely something that was discussed among my friends and co-workers for weeks after. One concern I did have was that my cousin and her husband lived in New York. Fortunately, I was able to email them and confirm they were ok.

Being in the West Coast, the anniversary of the attacks don't invoke much emotion for me. I didn't know anyone that was killed and I was too far away to feel any direct effects. Despite this, September 11th, 2001 is a date I won't forget easily. The sheer audacity of the attacks are not something that anyone will forget anytime soon.