Lower Manhattan with The World Trade Center as seen from outside the Hoboken, NJ train station in 1995. Photo by Irene North.
Take the train from Middletown, New York, to Hoboken, New Jersey. Transfer to the PATH train and get off at the World Trade Center. The World Trade Center. That was always my starting point to any trip into New York City.
At the World Trade Center memorial in New York City, roses of different colors are placed in a person’s name each year on their birthday.
In the 1980s and 1990s, whenever you went to the airport, your family and friends went with you to the gate. They would embarrass you with hugs and kisses before you began your journey down the gangway and into the plane.
The cockpit door was sometimes open. People could drop in on long flights and get a quick tour. I once watched the sun rise from the cockpit.
Then, on September 11, 2001, everything changed. We gave into the fear of an attack on our country.
On a bright, sunny morning when President George W. Bush told us “you’re either with us or you’re against us,” I knew our fate was sealed. In that moment, I became “against us.”
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