From: SandyTesha@aol.com
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 12:41:15 EDT
Subject: morning after

Hi there -

I ventured out today a little before 9am, 24 hours after the tragedy started,
at the height of rush hour. Except the streets were practically empty.
Kindof like Sunday morning at 7am, but not even that. There were less than
1/3 the usual crowds here, and NO traffic... no delivery vans, a couple buses
and taxis here and there. It's freaky how quiet and ghost-townish it feels.
Most of the food stores/delis/etc are open here in midtown, "business as
usual". Yeah right. I managed (after going to 3 different newsstands, and
it wasn't even 9am) to find a NY Times, people were buying 2-3 copies apiece.
It amazes me how the media survives these events to put out the news.
Unbelievable photos, as I'm sure you've all seen as well. The most bizarre
ones were on the Op-Ed pages, one of the top portions of the twin towers,
against a cloudy sky, taken years ago probably. The other was a computer
generated silhouette of lower Manhattan as seen from Jersey, without the
towers. I didn't even recognize it as New York.

I want to volunteer or give blood... but the hospitals/volunteer stations are
overflowing so I'm not sure what to do. I feel so very helpless. All I can
say is thank god that Rudy Giuliani is mayor of this city. He has been/ is
incredible.

Also, I spoke to a friend in DC (Kristan Cybrewski, who watched the Pentagon
burn from her apartment window) last night whose father was on the 12th floor
of the first tower that was hit. He got out in time to look up and see the
2nd plane crash into the 2nd tower. He was in from Long Island (where he
usually works) for a meeting. He is fine.

That's all for now.
Love,
Sandy

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From: SandyTesha@aol.com
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 01:08:27 EDT
Subject: Packrat

I was just going through scrapbooks to look at photos of the WTC I took over
the years as a New Yorker and as a tourist.

One of the photo series is from when I went to the observation deck w/
friends - and I kept the information brochure and map, dated 1989. It reads:

"NEW YORK BEGINS AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTER"

Still stunned.
Sandy

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From: SandyTesha@aol.com
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 02:08:57 EDT
Subject: Fwd: also stunned

From Walt, my pilot friend in Cincinnati who was put on emergency call to fly
blood/supplies to the NYC / DC areas:

In a message dated 9/12/01 1:22:05 AM, Walt ... writes:
<< The scene
here is surreal in its own right, the airport is absolutely silent. I have
spent the better part of my adult life at airports and have NEVER experienced
anything like this its absolutely still. For what ever reason, that was the
moment it all became just too much for me.
AirNet had this first Air Ambulance flight up in the country and as
of right now are the ONLY non military traffic flying. We even made the
news. and the only delays we've had was having to turn and hold each time
Air Force one passed by.
Dayton was rocked by a series of loud bangs initially reported as
explosions, but they were the sonic booms of the 441st TFW departing.
I've been sent home for the night, I'll write more tomorrow.

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From: SandyTesha@aol.com
Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2001 23:27:20 EDT
Subject: Wednesday PM / Candlelight Vigil

Hi everyone, more updates for you. (If you'd rather not receive these "woman
on the streets" emails just let me know. Several of you have commented that
you appreciate them, and I don't mind writing them.)

This afternoon I ventured up to 71st street to see my friend Julie and her 2
1/2 yr old and 6 week old girls. Quite a drastic change on the streets from
this morning. More cabs were around, more traffic, more delivery trucks here
and there. I overheard an NYPD officer tell her partner to not let the
drivers leave their trucks unattended under any circumstances. Some shops
were open on the upper west side, mostly delis and restaurants, but there was
a shoe boutique open on Broadway that I happened to notice. Since this was a
"day off" for most New Yorkers, a lot of them had taken refuge in Central
Park, sunning, blading, jogging, hanging with family and friends and enjoying
the beautiful weather. The park and the streets just felt slightly off
kilter though, people were constantly talking on cell phones and to each
other in hushed tones or reading newspapers; everyone was walking just a few
paces slower, and weren't looking at the ground as per usual - people had
this strange look on their faces, they were making eye contact with strangers
too, as if to say, "...are you ok?" and when bumped both parties said "excuse
me" or "sorry"... New Yorkers have suddenly become much kinder and gentler
because of this mess.

Julie's husband is an ex-Navy Seal - he went to the Armory on the East side
today to offer his services. I do not know what he will be doing, but much
to Julie's dismay he took his camo's and boots with him when he left at 6am.
The playground in the park was packed with families and children- it was such
therapy to hear children laughing and to play with Samantha (the 2 1/2 yr
old), who's main mission today was to just have fun and to scream with
laughter at everyone and everything. She couldn't know what had happened.
Julie said yesterday Samantha "sensed" something - and was extra quiet and
polite. Today perhaps she was letting it all out.

Tonight my friend Alissa and I went downtown for a candlelight vigil we had
heard about. We took the train to 14th street. The subways are safe and
fine, except people (complete strangers, again) are talking to each other,
discussing newspapers and the events, and just shaking their heads, still in
disbelief.

14th street is where the police are diverting traffic to the East and west.
Pedestrian traffic is still freely allowed on the East side below 14th
street, on the west side below 14th they were asking for ID. People were NOT
evacuated below 14th street (except for those closet to the wreckage). There
was just no vehicular traffic at all, save for emergency vehicles, and there
were SO many going down 7th and 8th avenues - Con Ed, Verizon, Ingersoll
Rand, water stations, food / supply trucks, and of course so many ambulances
and police cars, from as far away as Pennsylvania and Miami. We walked down
to 12th street and passed St Vincents, the hospital where many victims are
being taken which you have probably seen on the news reports. It was
completely cordoned off, and was lit brightly with flood lights, like a movie
set. The smell of burning ? was heavy in the air down there near the west
side. I smell it now in my apt on 55th street because the wind is now
blowing north (yes I have closed my windows). On trees and lampposts on the
quiet (not counting the sirens from the avenues) brown-stoned-lined streets
in the west village were posted many color and Xerox copied notices for
missing persons: "Missing since 9/11- Bob Nevins, employee 101st floor WTC -
please call or email if you have any information about his whereabouts." All
with smiling photos of the missing person on them. Restaurants in this area
were all open as far as we could tell, and doing a brisk business for the
most part.

We looked up 5th Avenue to get a glimpse of the Empire State Building, which
is always lit beautifully at night, sometimes with colors of various holidays
during the year, but could not see it. Then we realized that it was black -
only a few random lights shown in the offices below. In mourning, or perhaps
blackened from the possible bomb threat earlier (I have not watched the news
*much* tonight). The dust and smoke were giving the building an eerie feel
as the lights reflected off the particles in the air.

The scene at Union Square (14th street near 5th Ave) was incredible. Above
the police barricades on 14th street where policemen and women were directing
vehicular and pedestrian traffic were hundreds and hundreds of people
congregating in the square. Some playing guitars and singing. Many crying.
A few were building sculptures and memorials, some in the shape of the twin
towers. Some had brought photo collages of their loved ones who had died.
Flowers were strewn everywhere. So many candles were being lit. People had
taped long sheets of white and brown paper on the square's sidewalks and left
markers and crayons for people to write messages if they wished. Here are
what some people wrote:

"I ran downstairs. There was no sun. There was no light. My street was
filled with smoke, debris and dust. I couldn't see but pitch black. I came
home and cried. My prayers are with all the victims and their families."

"Live now. You are never promised tomorrow."

"why did the plane have to crash?"

"Our practices are out of whack! Wake up!! There are things we need to stop
taking for granted... like the person next to you... love is just more
efficient than anything else."

"In the words of John Lennon..."Imagine all the people..."

"New York City is the best goddamn city in the world."

"Love thy neighbor."

"My neighbor was killed yesterday - and I had to watch"

"No wise words to soothe our weary souls, just extreme washes of emotion -
grief at our loss, and hope that out of todays wreckage more will survive.
Love and peace to all that are anxiously waiting."

"NYC will be stronger. God bless the survivors, victims, the NYPD and NYFD.
Life is beautiful."

I have learned so much from this ordeal. I love you all. Thanks for
reading. I feel better after having written it. I hope you all are doing OK.

Love,
Sandy

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