It is hard to believe that the events of 9/11 happened 10 years ago. I remember this day with great clarity. Here is that morning:
I was in the office making sure that one of my first escrows was all ready to close. It was my first multifamily sale I had done in my career. I had already spoke to buyer the day before and was just following up with the escrow company to make sure all of the documents were ready for everyone to come in and sign. Over the radio, I heard someone say, “There was a bombing at the World Trade Center…”
One of the other brokers in my office had a TV and it became a meeting point for the entire office that morning. We all watched and speculated on what happened. Was it an act of terrorism? Was it an accident? No one really knew and all of the TV channels were just speculating.
As time progressed, the office still enamored over the TV and listening to all of the details when all of the sudden right before my very eyes we saw the second plane crash into the second Tower. Absolute silence fell over everyone standing around. The gasps and screams of the TV crews that were on the ground where deafening. It was surreal.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of time, I had to pry myself away from the TV to go back to the closing that was to occur later that morning.
Our administrative assistant kept by the TV and was periodically giving updates when the big news of the first Tower collapsing. Then the second. It was about that time that President Bush was being flown into SAC in Bellevue.
I left to go to the escrow office for the closing. I hadn’t called the escrow officer or the buyer to see if the closing was still going to take place. More fear of what was happening was definitely percolating through the airwaves about this being a terrorist attack.
The closing did happen. As we were leaving the escrow office, I remember seeing Air Force One leaving SAC in the distance. I had always wanted to see Air Force One, just not under these circumstances.
Again, it’s hard to believe it has been 10 years. Where were you? What do you remember about this day?
Please remember to keep the people and families in your thoughts/prayers during this time and the men and women that continue to keep us safe!
Leave a Reply