For the past year, I've been commuting to New York City to work at 7 World Trade Center. This is located right across the street from the new 1 World Trade Center, also known as the Freedom Tower. Since I've been there, I've watched the construction workers from my window. They walk around the steel beams without fear, they're out there when it's cold and rainy, and most of all, I've never seen the work stop. Often times, I need to be in the office for a 7 a.m. meeting and I will find the area filled with construction workers. When I leave the office late at night, I see them working. The site is consistently busy 24 hours a day. The sounds of daily construction is normal background noise for me.
The transformation of the area is mind boggling. I've witnessed the construction of the Memorial Pool, the 9/11 Memorial Museum and have watched the trees go into Memorial Plaza. Changes are made on a daily basis and it never ceases to amaze me how quickly it happens. Security is always present and you often find pockets of tourists or even jaded New Yorkers, who stop at a corner and look up to see the changes that have taken place. I remember where I was on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. I was in my office at Paul Hastings in Stamford, CT when the plane hit the first tower. I was supposed to be heading into the city for a meeting in New York at 1 World Trade Center. I had planned to drive into the city after dropping Matthew off at daycare and run some errands before my 11 a.m. meeting. I realized after I dropped Matthew off that I didn't have a file for the meeting. That was unlike me. As a result, I had to drive back to my office to pick up my file. If it were not for that, I don't know if I would be here today.Everything that day is still burned into my memory. I remember hearing the commotion outside my office about a plane hitting a building. I opened my office door and my assistant was surprised to see me in the office. She knew I was supposed to be in New York. We ran over to the conference room and watched in horror as smoke billowed out of the tower. We were all transfixed and couldn't believe what had happened when we watched the second plane hit the second tower.
I left the office to get Matthew from daycare and just held him tight. We were on our way home when I decided to take Matthew over to Dairy Queen for an ice cream. He was 4 years old and sitting on the bench, carefree, swinging his legs and enjoying his ice cream. He didn't understand the reason for the special treat. Everything were eerily quiet. No cars, no sound, no planes overhead. Everything came to a standstill that morning.
The destruction has transformed the city and has forever changed the skyline. What it didn't do was kill the spirit of New York. If anything, it has fortified it. Lower Manhattan was once a desolate place, is now filled with new construction and life. There are lots of young kids and families in the area and it's got the real feel of a neighborhood. Often when I run out to pick up lunch, I will often see little kids playing in the park and hear the happy sounds from the playground.
We will never forget the tragedy of that day. The amazing tribute at Memorial Plaza will serve to honor each of the lives lost.
