The Day is Saturday, September 8, 2001.
Saturday morning. Lower Manhattan seems asleep, as none of the work week hustle and bustle is present. Wall Street and the Financial District are mostly closed as there is no Weekend trading. A time for the city to take a deep breath.
Where workers are absent, there are many tourists. There are always tourists. Some in town for the US open, some in from the surrounding countryside for a quick weekend in the City before the long school year and work haul to the holidays a distant two months away.
The tourists marvel at the tall buildings, taking pictures. They visit Time Square, They go to Broadway shows. They indulge themselves at all the points of interest the largest city in America has to offer. Some, ride the ultra-fast express elevators to the top of the World Trade Center to the interior observation room.
View from Inside Observation Deck, WTC Tower 2.
For those desiring a less restrictive experience, a trip to the outside observation deck is the goal:
View from Outside Observation Deck, roof of WTC Tower 2.
The view is truly breathtaking. From 1,377 feet, the curvature of the earth is discernible. The majesty of the city and man’s accomplishment in this place spread out for all to see. The perfect day to take it all in.
In Laurel, Maryland, the man named ‘Mohammed’ takes the almost $8000 from the other foreign men in his party, and at local Giant and Safeway supermarkets, he wire transfers the money to Dubai. The men will no longer be needing the money.
At the end of this beautiful first Saturday of fall, the World Trade Center has less than 72 hours in existence.
Thoughts from the Heartland 