SEPTEMBER 11, 2002
These photos
were taken in lower Manhattan, on the morning of 9.11.02
Without getting too close to the site (we weren't allowed and I didn't want
to do anything to intrude on the privacy
of family members), it was a poignant morning. To the immediate east of the
WTC site, the barricades were on the
west side of Broadway. I was at Cortlandt St. & Broadway when we had the
first moment of silence at 8:46 a.m.
Eastern Time, and then moved to Liberty St. & Broadway for the second
one at 9:03 a.m.
It was truly
awe-inspiring to see people of all ages, races, ethnic backgrounds, etc.,
gathered together to
show our respect for those who were so savagely murdered by waving flags,
shedding tears (even some of the
police officers who were manning the barricades turned to face the WTC site
for a moment at 8:46, then turned back,
took deep breaths and wiped tears from their eyes) and just being there to
show that we remember.
From 10:30 a.m. until
2:30 p.m., a number of local Post Offices (mostly in lower Manhattan) were
offering the special pictorial cancellation pictured above. I had a number
of letters and packages
done with this at the Wall Street Post Office, including an envelope that
I addressed to myself and which the
clerk gave back to me.
Rather than showing what the WTC site looks like today, these photos show the area just outside the site.
Click on the pictures below to see a 2x version:
 Looking
down the street at about 7 a.m., with part of the World Financial Center
in the distance. |
 Just
a few of the bikes lined up on Maiden Lane, just east of Broadway. |
 On
the west side of Broadway, at Cortlandt Street, facing the WTC site shortly
before the memorial service began. |
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 View
of Cortlandt St. & Broadway, from east side of Broadway. |
 In
the crowd, some construction workers with flags painted on their hardhats. |
 Patriotic
crowd on the east side of Broadway & Liberty St. |
 Buildings
all over the area were flying the U.S. flag, mostly at half-mast. |
 A
view of the west side of Liberty St. & Broadway, from the east side
of Broadway. |
 From
the west side of Liberty & Broadway. |
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 This
collage, which was so sadly reminiscent of the missing person flyers from
last September, was stuck between the bars of one of the police barricades.
For me, it was a heartbreaking reminder that the victims weren't just
numbers, but each one was somebody's loved one. |
 The
view up Broadway. |
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 The
flag at half-mast, above the American Stock Exchange. |
 One
year after the heinous attacks on lower Manhattan, the New York Stock
Exchange is still standing and still functioning — a proud symbol
that our way of life is still strong, and that while the bastards hurt
us, they didn't destroy us. We're still here, we're strong and we're resilient. |
 Lots
of flags at half-mast, all the way east on Wall Street. |
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