9/11 Remembered

[gordo]

Hard to believe it's been 14 years.

PRINT '01, with about twice the exhibit space of the largest Graph Expo and Converting Expo events, was scheduled to take place September 6-13 2001 at the McCormick Place Complex in Chicago. I was one of the CreoScitex team attending the show to display our wares and introduce, under my Value In Print initiative, its new consulting services.

I was staying at the W Hotel in downtown Chicago and, as was the policy of CreoScitex, I was sharing the room with a coworker. Because I had a presentation to do at the show first thing on the morning of September 11 I awoke about 6 am and decided not to turn on the television so as not to disturb my room mate. I took a taxi to McCormick Place and was quite surprised at how untalkative the clearly Muslim driver was. But, after all I thought, it was very early in the morning.

Arriving at McCormick Place I quickly headed through the empty building to the CreoScitex "sales bunker" - the virtual office for sales people to use at the show. Scattered throughout McCormick Place are television monitors that are tuned to CNN but with the audio off.

The scene that I saw on the screen just looked like a pair of giant smokestacks spewing plumes of black soot so I assumed they were doing a story on industrial pollution somewhere - likely in the Balkans an area that was much in the news at that time.

So I continued on my way into the sales bunker.

In the sales bunker I tried, but couldn't get on the Internet to check my email. Then I tried to check my voicemail with my cell phone but couldn't get a signal. Frustrated, I proceeded to the CreoScitex booth where the IT guys hid out when setting up our booth. They should be able to figure it out I thought. Walking through the exhibition halls I noted that many of the exhibitor's equipment was covered with American flags. So typical of the U.S.A. I thought to myself.

I arrived at the booth and started to organize myself for the presentation that I was scheduled to do and a co-worker at the booth came over to me and asked: "Have you heard the news?"

It took a while to sink in. No presentation today. This would be the last day of Print '01.

I decided to walk back to the hotel - all the time trying to get a signal for my cell phone so I could call and let my wife know that I was OK and not to worry. It was two hours before my phone was able to get a signal and I could make the call.

As news reports started coming in there was talk of a jet en route to Chicago and that the Sears Tower might also be hit. As a result, most stores and restaurants were closed. Once back at the hotel, like many of my co-workers, I just wanted to get back home. The news was that all flights were cancelled for at least the next few days which meant that my return flight ticket for September 14 was no good. A call in to the CreoScitex travel agents revealed that we were on our own to figure out how to get back to Vancouver. Fortunately I linked up with a small group in the lobby of the hotel and managed to rent a passenger van - at a highly inflated day rate.

It took a group of us just 24 hours to travel the 2,200 miles back home in a very expensive rented van. Guards at the Canada/US border were heavily armed (something I'd never seen before) even at 3 AM when we crossed the border back into Canada. During that drive from Chicago I only saw one airplane - a military transport plane.

Other employees made their way from Chicago through Toronto (where planes were still flying and where Canadians gave US travellers refuge) and back home.


Like fine dust thrown against the wind, evil falls back upon that fool who offends the inoffensive, pure and guiltless.
- The Dhammapada

 

[AP90]

Wow Gordo, looking back thats a pretty scary story with you being in one of the largest US cities at the time it happened. Also crazy how long it to you to realize what was going on. Now a days, we would get an instant alert on our smartphones telling us exactly what is happening. Amazing how technology can get us information so quickly now.

My day wasn't that odd, as I was in 5th grade when 9/11 happened. I happened to be sick that day, and stayed home from school. My father was home that day to take care of me (parents own their own publishing company). He came in and woke me up when the news of the first plane hit. Me being 11 years old, I didn't even understand what was happening, but ill never forget him talking me through what was going on and then watching live the 2nd plane crash into the towers. It was the equivalent of the Kennedy assassination for my generation in that it is ingrained in my memory and I'll never forget exactly what I was doing that day.

 

[PDL]

“A plane just hit the World Trade Center”, a colleague in the office in Atlanta said to us all sitting in the room. (I had returned from Print ’01 early the night before).
I thought to myself, “how could a pilot not see the WTC and avoid it?”. I had been to the top of the WTC many times and had seen small single engine planes flying below the level of the observation deck, mostly along the paths of the two rivers that straddle Manhattan island. I could only image it was one of those small planes, maybe the pilot had a heart attack, hope everyone is OK.
Then we turned on a TV.
The senior manager in the office at the time came in shortly thereafter and said he thought it would be best if we closed the office for the day and we all go home to our families or someone we cared about. We did. AP90 is exactly correct. I was about the same age as he was on 9/11 when Kennedy was killed. Both events, the days, the moment of learning what happened, are engraved in memory and resulted in a tear in the heart. After each, everything was different.

 

[MailGuru]

I was working at a print & mail shop over in Daytona Beach when It happened. Ironically, rumor has it that two of the terrorist pilots got their partial training from a flight school nearby. We saw it unfold on the TV monitors and internet screens throughout the plant.

After getting over the shock and sadness of what had happened, the days and months following were erie. The skys were empty and quiet. As a child growing up and all through adulthood, I don't think I can ever recall a time when there were absolutely no planes flying. No private aircraft, no commercial aircraft. Nothing. Seeing an airplane in the sky had become so common, so "second nature", that, I guess I had just taken it for granted. Until it stopped.

Within the months to come, our industry would suffer some of the biggest set-backs in history. The Anthrax letters and the subsequent scare brought the print/mail industry to a virtual stand-still. People were afraid to open an envelope. People were afraid to fly, which, took its toll on the tourism industry (our biggest industry here in Florida). Rumors were flying about other targets such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, etc.)

My heart goes out to the innocent families and loved ones, who, started that day just like any other day. They woke up, got their showers, got dressed, kissed their spouses goodby, and a "see you tonight" signoff. Not knowing that today would be their last day on earth, because, some idiot halfway around the world wanted to make a statement.

-MailGuru

 

[dabob]

I was scheduled to go to New Hampshire for Indigo training on Sept 15th . . . needless to say I didn't go then - but I went in October after the planes were flying again - went to NY one weekend and walked around the wreckage - it will stay with me for my entire life . . .

 

[wonderings]

I was back packing Europe. I remember being in Munich, I had checked into a hotel room. I turned on the tv to relax a bit having spent the previous night in a train station. Was not paying much attention as I was going through train schedules and things when I heard something on the news that struck my attention. Turning to see the first plane hit the first tower. Needless to say I was in shock, had no idea what was going on, it was surreal. Shortly after the next plane hit. At that time it felt like the world had just changed, which it had. Had no idea if I should hop on the next plane and get home (to Canada). I did not leave, spent another few months in Europe before flying back. I can tell you security in the airport felt massively different then it did when I had left in August.

 

[mojoprime]

it was a normal day for us, or at least it started that way. we had just finished a brief staff meeting and were all milling about. someone rushed out of the break room, and said "my god, they just crashed into the tower." i thought they meant outside, downtown. as we went over to the tube to watch, shortly, the other plane went into the second tower. i turned and looked into the face of a coworker as tears ran down her face. we were in a building adjacent to where the DEA had an office. don't know if that influenced anything but our CEO came through -- usually a jovial guy -- with a very stern and hollow face, and got on the PA and sent everyone home. i went home and watched all day and all night on TV. i will truly never forget it.