The sky was clear, so it was easy to see a commercial airplane overhead, with two fighter jets, one just of each of its wings.
On the morning of September 11th, I was sitting toward the rear of an Amtrak car traveling from Philadelphia to Penn Station in New York City. I was on my way to a church in Mamaroneck, NY to advise them on ways to reduce their energy cost and usage. Then a woman half way down the car jumped up with her cell phone and ran to the front end. She started yelling at the Amtrak conductor, who replied by asking her to please return to her seat. The conductor followed her back and I could overhear that something terrible had just happened. Moments later, the train rounded a bend, and I could see that the top of one of the World Trade Towers was burning. Apparently, the passenger knew someone who worked there. The train stopped when we reached Penn Station. We were told to get out because they were going to “sweep the train” looking for a bomb. Everyone went upstairs to the main concourse, where we were told to vacate Penn Station because they were going to look for a bomb there as well. For hours, I stood with many other people on the southwest corner of 7th Avenue and 33rd Street. The sky was clear, so it was easy to see a commercial airplane overhead, with two fighter jets, one just of each of its wings. Someone set up a portable radio on the top of a USPS mailbox. Many people gathered around to hear various voices with various opinions about what was going on. Some said a plane also crashed into the White House. Another said the Pentagon, and another said Dallas was just bombed. A distraught young woman walked by, looking at the sidewalk and crying. Since many cell towers were located on the World Trade Center, there was no cell service. The only phone that worked was a payphone using 1-800-COLLECT. I called the church to explain why I was not going to get there. The priest told me that several of their congregants had died in the collapse of the two towers. Many people wondered how to get out of Manhattan. What about air travel? No. What about the ferries to New Jersey? No. How about a taxi? No. After several hours, we were told that an Amtrak train was about to leave for Philadelphia. I was on it.
Andrew Rudin
