#1626 | Friday, August 30th 2002
It was my first night in the L.A. area just after moving here. I was so disturbed with what had happened that I didn't leave the house for a couple of days......
Bekah | 20 | California

#1601 | Monday, August 26th 2002
We got up and went to the gym like most mornings. It was 5am in California. By the time we finished working out and headed to the area where the treadmills were, we could see the first images on the TV's from New York. The first plane had hit the north tower. Everyone was glued to the TV's. I frantically tuned my walkman to hear the audio. Our local stations were monitoring NY1 or any local New York station. I tried to start working out again, but was glued to the TV when I saw it happen. I couldn't believe my eyes when out of blue the second plane hit WTC #2. The news crew from NY1 were screaming "Oh my God" and "Holy Shit". The closed captions even recorded that. I jumped off the bike and starting yelling "Oh my God NO!" I went into a panic. I told my partner to give me the keys to our condo, I had go home and try and contact my best friend in NYC. On my way out of the gym, the guy behind the counter was in shock watching the TV. All I could say was "we're being attacked! We're being attacked." I ran out the door and started to cry. There was a lady coming into the gym and I simply told her, "New York has been attacked. It's on the news." She probably thought I was nuts.

The next hour was a panic. I called my mother and my father and frantically tried to reach my friend in New York. My partner was still at the gym and came home to find me on the phone crying into my friend in NYC's voice mail.

I had the news on NBC when the third plane hit the Pentagon. I rushed into the bathroom and told Michael (my partner) "They attacked the Penatagon!". My mom called me at that moment. I didn't know if I should go to work fearing that Los Angeles would be attacked next. While I was taking a shower, the south tower collapsed. I saw the replay of it on TV and almost threw up. I visted the WTC in 2000 and stood on the top of the south tower that I now watched fall to the ground on TV.

I rushed to get ready to go to work. I don't know why I tried. When I got in my car, my cell phone never stopped ringing. My other best friend in SF was calling in tears, my partner was calling me back making sure I was ok and giving me updates on radio. Our normal happy and crazy DJ's were freaking out and crying. I kept switching the radio around and trying to remain calm. Los Angeles drivers were actually polite that day. When I was about to approach the freeway, the north tower collapsed. Michael called me to tell me the news. I already heard and was turning my car around to go home. There was no way I would be at work today. I called my boss and left a voice mail. I didn't care if they fired me. I had to be home.

The next few hours were spent relaying info to my partner while he was at work (his company was total jerks and made them work. Mine was cool about us staying home). The whole time, all I could do was worry about TJ (my friend in NY). Finally I called his former co-worker in SF and he hooked me up with someone that might know where he was. (My friend flew alot for work and always took the Nework to SF flight that crashed in Penn. Plus he had clients near the WTC) I was able to find out that TJ was ok.

The rest of the day was spent watching TV and being in shock. Finally at about 6pm Los Angeles time, I got a hold of TJ. He was staying at his other apt in New Jersey. He said to me "Honey, you'll never ever hear a New Yorker say this again but, thank God I was in New Jersey!"

Ronny | 41 | California

#1600 | Monday, August 26th 2002
When I first heard what was happening on September 11th, I was still sleeping when my mom came in and said;
"Get up and come look at what happened on T.v."
" What?" I had grumbled.
"A plane crashed into the World Trade center, in New York."
I had jumped out of bed and ran into my mom's room, and watched the t.v for a while. I saw the second plane crash into the second building, and then collapse.
When I got to school, my class watched the news the whole day pretty much. And that's where and what I was doing that morning.

Samantha | 13 | California

#1597 | Sunday, August 25th 2002
On 9/11/01, I woke up to my then boyfriend who is in the Air Force and at the time stationed at Thule, Greenland asking me if I was watching tv. I was groggy so I didn't have time to answer before he told me that New York was under attack. Awake instantly, I jumped out of bed and turned on the tv. I watched in disbelief and horror. We didn't say a word for minutes. Silence only broken when the 2nd tower collapsed and I screamed. I remember saying over and over again..please God, no. He was patched through from a phone line at another AF base, so we stayed on the phone for a long while. He was on shift and you could hear the other men and women working that shift with him screaming in disbelief, outrage and heart ache. My heart broke that day and it has never been the same since, nor will it be ever. I still cry often and a day never goes by that I don't pray for us as a nation and pray for all our brothers and sisters that we lost. While I will never forget or stop praying, I refuse to be afraid. We are Americans and we are strong and united. Nothing and no one can take that away from us. United we will always stand. God bless us all.
Romy | 29 | California

#1574 | Monday, August 19th 2002
It was weird to wake up to a story about NYC on my radio, especialy since I am in San Diego. I thought I was dreaming, especially when the announcer had to repeat what he was saying and commenting that he thought he'd read his notes wrong. I listened for a few minutes and turned the radio off. After about 15 minutes of silence, I got out of bed and went about my morning routine of getting ready for work and getting my daughter up for school. It wasn't until I was half way to work and turned on the radio, instead of the CD player, that I realized what had sent chills down my spine at 5:57 that morning was real. I can't even begin to describe the feelings that ran through me. I am a native New Yorker with family and friends all over the city, and most of whom work in Manhattan. I listened the rest of the way to work. As I walked in to the store where I work, my coworkers were rushing up to me with concern. Our store had piped CNN over the PA system and turned it on the TV's in our electronics department. After I clocked in, our management invited associates to come and watch the TVs. I had a hard time actually seeing what was happening. All I could do was cry. I had 3 cousins in the WTC and one living near the Pentagon that day. And I am glad to say what so few can... I still have those cousins as well as the rest of my friends and family with me today. But I agree with what so many of you have said, even 11 months later, the sound of an airplane forces me to look into the sky with fear. I admire the men and women, such as my brother, who get into those planes everyday, facing fear dead on. I am not afraid to fly, and I have continued to live my life, but that sense of security has gone. I now hold onto the hope that one day we will have it back. Maybe we will remember not to be so cocky about it, if it ever returns. Maybe then we can let go of he fear that has seeded itself inside each of us. Maybe then I will not cry everytime I hear "Proud to be an American" or "The Star Spangled Banner" or "Where were you?" Maybe then...
Caren | 28 | California

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