Did anyone here ever get to visit the World Trade Center? - Man on Wire (2008) Discussion

[–] tonybny 16 years ago

I was always fascinated with the World Trade Center and was fortunate enough to visit several times. I have always collected newpaper articles, photos, posters, and other memoribilia featuring the towers. On 9/11, I was devastated that the terrorists chose to destroy buildings that meant a lot to me. Quite frankly, I wouldn't have been as upset that day if they knocked down say the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty or other NYC landmark but I digress.....

To those who have never visited the WTC, the most amazing thing was their enormity. The buildings were MASSIVE! Not only tall, but imposing. I would get shivers down my spine just looking up at them. And even though I visited the observation deck twice, I was queasy and exhilirated at the same time. My last visit to the top was in 1984 as a teen, but I was lucky enough to work within walking distance of the towers in 2000-2001. My friend and I would often lunch in the WTC plaza, sitting near the famous bronze globe.

On 9/11 I watched it all unfold live, near enough to hear, see, smell, and feel everything. I never thought the buildings would collapse. Nothing that large could just fall down. Sadly I was wrong.

I miss them being part of the NYC skyline and would have liked exact replicas of the towers rebuilt.

I still think of the towers every single day. I treasure my books and memoribilia and especially the photos of me at the observation deck.

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[–] Rabipelado 16 years ago

Well, I saw "Man on Wire" on Tuesday and enjoyed every second of it (never realised Petit had to dodge a security guard all night). Especially loved all the photos and archive footage of the towers. Speaking of which, thanks for sharing your memories of the World Trade Center, tonybny. The Twin Towers always fascinated me, as well, and were the first images that came to mind whenever I'd think of New York City (modern shots of the skyline sadden me, as it looks incomplete without the towers). I'll always regret never visiting Manhattan before 9/11 (to date, I still have never been to NYC).

Wow, I can only imagine what it must've felt like to stand at the base of the WTC and look up or be atop the observatory staring down! It's great that you got to visit the observation deck twice and later worked close enough to have lunches in the WTC plaza. It's amazing that the bronze globe actually survived the destruction.

I'm sorry that you had to endure the horrors of 9/11, firsthand. It was terrifying enough watching the towers fall on TV, so I can't even begin to imagine how scary it must've been to see their collapse in person. Hopefully you and your friends were a good distance away when the enormous clouds of dust covered the streets.

I would have also liked to see exact replicas of the towers rebuilt. I read that the Freedom Tower's observation deck will be lower and smaller than the original with no rooftop deck (which is very disappointing, as I've heard the outdoor viewing platform was the best part of the old WTC's observatory). Be sure to check out the Twin Towers Alliance (http://www.twintowersalliance.com/) and the homepage for the Twin Towers II plan (http://www.wtc2011.com/). They're both interesting sites and Philippe Petit is supposedly in support of seeing the towers rebuilt, as well.

Be sure to always hang onto your books, memorabilia, and photos, as it now seems virtually impossible to find anything about the Twin Towers that doesn't involve their destruction. I'm lucky enough to have an old NYC tourism book from '98 with a few pages on the WTC. There's some old photos on Flickr and home movies on YouTube, but not much else.

If I may ask a couple of questions:

1.) How exactly was the plaza laid out? I've noticed that some pictures show the plaza at street level (http://www.flickr.com/photos/23458044@N02/2372969247/sizes/o/in/set-72157604295594975/), while those of the pedestrian bridge leading into the second floor of 7 WTC (http://img169.imageshack.us/img169/7427/nycfotowtc77fw8.jpg) suggest it was elevated above them. Likewise with the towers' lobbies, I've seen shots with the lower-levels (which I assumed ran parallel to the underground mall) leading outside (http://www.flickr.com/photos/73409321@N00/1352490849/sizes/o/) and others of the mezzanines doing the same thing (http://z.about.com/d/manhattan/1/7/f/E/flickr-NoriakiGotoh-wtc-lobby.jpg).

2.) What did the interiors of the enclosed observation deck look like and what sort of things/activities were up there? Most photos and videos I've seen online either face the windows (http://www.eticketride.org/wpblog/wp-content/images/floor107.jpg), various hallways (http://www.flickr.com/photos/bstodd00/245067930/sizes/o/), or wide areas with neon lights (http://www.starcitymall.com/webcam/wtc/wtc_012.jpg).

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[–] tonybny 16 years ago

Here is a ridiculously long link to a gallery of WTC photos, including some of the plaza and the observatory:

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://z.about.com/d/manhattan/1/7/c/E/
flickr-LastMinuteBlogdotcom-wtc-observatory-int.jpg&imgrefurl=http://manhattan.
about.com/od/september11th2001/ig/World-Trade-Center--1970-2001/Inside-at-the-
WTC-Observatory.htm&h=375&w=500&sz=61&hl=en&start=2&um=1&tbnid=F3pYVwRhCLFC_M:
&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwtc%2Bobservatory%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26
client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN

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[–] TheLionKingKong 16 years ago

I saw the WTC when I visited New York in the summer of 1995. I was across the water (is that the Hudson River?) from the towers with my parents, and my mom said something to me like "look at that! It's the World Trade Center." And I think she said something about how big or tall the towers were. I guess she knew that they were famous buildings for some reason.

I also have some WTC memorabilia; I have a blanket and bed sheets for the movie "Godzilla" (1998) and they have the Twin Towers printed on them. I've also collected a lot of newspapers and magazines about 9/11.

A friend of mine told me that when she visited New York in the 1990s, she took a picture of her brother with the WTC in the background, and her brother has his arms spread out like an airplane. She says that picture creeps her out now.

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[–] rkelman 16 years ago

I visited NYC in April 2005 and hence never got to see the Twin Towers, but visited Ground Zero to pay my respects. I was there with my brother who first visited NY on Sept 10th 2001 for a week. A very strange situation as he and his wife were there when it happened, but never knew it had happened. It seemed the world was witnessing the attacks and subsequent fall of the towers, but some people only a few miles away, on the same island didn't know what, if anything, was going on.

I plan to re-visit when the Freedom Tower is built, but would feel happier if the towers were rebuilt the same as before.

I'm going to see Man on Wire on Sunday.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] bookworm345 16 years ago

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[–] silverbullets 13 years ago

Not sure if anyone's mentioned this already or if you know of this site, but if you haven't, definitely check out the audio project that NPR did a few years ago called the Sonic Memorial Project, which is an amazing conglomeration of the WTC's history. It's also something you can contribute to if the WTC was part of your personal history.
http://www.sonicmemorial.org/public/index.html
In this context (someone who loved being up there and had no fear of the height), especially check out the segment on Mohawk ironworkers who built it...it always disappoints me how their stories get left out in much of NY's building history, and they were certainly some of the first to conquer the heights.
http://www.sonicmemorial.org/public/mohawk/mohawk.html

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[–] mnelsonbast 15 years ago

Quite frankly, I wouldn't have been as upset that day if they knocked down say the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty or other NYC landmark but I digress.....

Tasteless.

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[–] jpgr69 15 years ago

I agree.

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

I was staying at the Millenium Hilton across the street from the two Towers on 9/11. After seeing "They Might be Giants" at the Tower Records in-store performance at midnight (Monday evening/Tuesday morning), I took the subway back to my hotel, getting off at the WTC stop. At apoximately 1 am, I was standing alone at the base of Tower one, just admiring the awesomeness of it all. Then I went to the hotel and fell asleep. Of course, I had know way of knowing that 8 or 9 hours later they'd be rubble. I never had the chance to visit the top of the Towers, unfortunately.

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

This was my view of the plaza from my hotel window, taken in the afternoon of 09/09/01.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d67/hollywoodpsychic/nyc/004.jpg
and the same view, taken about 2 minutes after the first plane hit.
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d67/hollywoodpsychic/nyc/008.jpg

I really wish I'd been there a day sooner, so that I could've made a visit to the observatory. As it was, I used my sightseeing time on the 10th to visit the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Central Park. I did take some really nice pictures of the Towers from the Statue of Liberty Ferry, almost exactly 24 hours before they fell.

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] Admiral-6 16 years ago

Thanks for sharing those two photos. The second one you have listed looks like the end of the world. I have to say, if I were in your shoes I'd of been heart broken that day. That had to be so surreal being there for a concert and witnessing such devastation. What day did you leave? What did it smell like outside?

I went to NYC in my youth. My Dad was from Jersey we were visiting family. So we made the journey there just for a day. I remember driving through the city and my Dad pointing the twin towers out to me. They were kinda far from where we were, but they were such an amazing sight to see. I wanted to go, but I was more concerned with checking out FAO Schwarz at that time in my life. I have never gotten the chance to go to New York again.

I'm seeing Man On Wire early this coming week.

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

Yeah, it was pretty devastating. I saw a lot of people jumping or falling to their deaths... just a horrible, awful sight. I felt incredibly powerless in the presense of such catastrophe. And hours after, the feeling of sadness was so thick you could feel it in the air. Incredibly unreal.

I actually left New York on the 15th. Without getting too specific, I was essentially stranded without money and was taken in by a friend of a friend of a distant relative I'd never met before. And I was able to stay with her for a few days until I could arrange a bus ticket out of there. I remember as the bus left the city, EVERY single person on board was pressed up to the left side windows to look at the smoke rising from Ground Zero... such terrible contrast to the ride in when I marvelled at the sight of the towers in the distance getting closer and closer.

I'll never forget that smell, although it's nearly impossible to describe in words. Acrid and stinging, definitely, but unlike anything I'd ever experienced before... imagine an electrical fire mixed with burning plastic, sort of. And you couldn't escape it for days (if you were outside) and you also couldn't escape the realization that there were people in that fire. The smell was definitely bad.

I remember I had to get away from it all one night and slipped into a movie theater, just to escape. And the movie was terrible (Rush Hour 2), but I just didn't care... I just wanted to laugh again. And after the movie ended and I hit the street in a semi-decent mood, that smell hit me and instantly brought me back to reality. "Oh yeah... THAT happened."

I'm seeing Man on Wire tonight... Can't wait. I'm a huge doc fan and this one looks wonderful. Sort of reminds me of Gizmo! (1977), if anyone's seen that.

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] Rabipelado 16 years ago

Thanks for sharing your photos, hollywoodpsychic. Ditto to everything Admiral-6 & karen-holt said/asked. Was it the impact of the first plane hitting the North Tower that woke you up or were you awake before it happened? It’s surreal that the WTC was reduced to rubble less than two hours after you took that second picture (good thing you weren’t staying at the New York Marriott World Trade Center Hotel), and the same hotel window now overlooks a construction site. Reminds me of this sombre illustration from “The New Yorker” magazine’s 9/11/06 issue of Philippe Petit performing his tightrope walk (sans wire) in the skies above Ground Zero: http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/wp-content/b/NYorker%202.jpg

You mentioned taking the subway to the WTC stop after the performance to get back to the Millenium Hilton. Was this the station?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/berkessel/109898902/. Did you take any pictures while you were standing alone at the base of 1 WTC or have the chance to walk through the lobby? It’s too bad you couldn’t visit the observation deck, but did you go up into the Statue of Liberty’s crown? If so, you’re among the last people to do so as it hasn’t been open to the public since the attacks.

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

I actually woke up minutes before it happened. I hadn't even put my glasses on by the time that first plane hit! But yeah... I woke up and began speaking with the friend that I was traveling with. We had both had an incredible time the day before, though we'd separated to do different things... I to see the statue, central park, etc. and he to do broadway. So were were briefly speaking to each other about what we'd both seen and done, when we heard the roar of the first plane... it was LOUD and it stopped us in our tracks... Then the sound of the crash and explosion. I was in a cot next to the window so I turned to see, and even without my glasses on could tell that a massive explosion was erupting at the WTC. I probably had my glasses on and was on my feet in fractions of a second.

That New Yorker illustration is incredible! I hadn't seen that before ,thanks.

As for the subway... I'm not sure. It's weird how memory works... I've got a memory like a steel trap for some things, but others are... just gone! I suspect I was probably lost in thought when I left the subway. I vaguely recall walking through a well lit, mall-type setting with closed shops, etc. I don't recall those escalators, but it couldv'e been where I was. I do remember exiting out to the street and being directly below the towers. I didn't take any pictures... I had a camera with me, but it wasn't digital. My old pentax k-100:) And it was dark and I didn't have a flash. So that moment is preserved only in my memory... just the most quiet and almost holy sort of moment at the end of a great day. I'm not really religious, but I stopped and said a little "thank you" and sort of quietly admired the immensity of the Towers and my appreciation for being alive and there at that moment. Not knowing what was to come, of course... but just having a moment of appreciation and thanks.

I did get to the crown! I got up early and hit Battery Park by about 8 am or so, to take the ferry to the Statue. I'm not scared of heights, really, or claustrophobic, but I remember the climb up that spiral staircase to the crown was INTENSE!

September 10th, 2001 really was an incredible day for me. One of the best days of my life, immediately followed by one of the worst. (Not to complain... I'm completely aware of how much worse things could've been for me and how terribly much worse it was for others. But the 11th was still an awful day, clearly!)

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] Rabipelado 16 years ago

Did you enjoy "Man on Wire", hollywoodpsychic?

I'm very sorry that you had to experience the horrors of 9/11, firsthand. Have you seen Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center"? There's one scene where a tourist is asking a police officer for directions when everything suddenly goes dark around them and the shadow of a plane covers a billboard ad for "Zoolander", and another where a group of officers make their way down the corridor of one of the low-rise WTC buildings, and through the windows you can see the plaza and Sphere sculpture with sheets of paper blowing everywhere (like in your photo). Those movie scenes gave me the chills, so I can't even begin to imagine what it was like for you having to witness all that death and destruction from your hotel window, then having to exit onto those chaotic streets not knowing what to expect. That ghastly smell must've been traumatizing.

It's funny you mentioned "Rush Hour 2"; Jackie Chan was supposedly scheduled to begin filming "Nosebleed" in the WTC (a movie where Jackie would play a WTC window washer who had to stop terrorists from destroying the Statue of Liberty) on the morning of September 11th, 2001 and would've been shooting above the points of impact when the planes hit, but luckily the film was delayed. Snopes lists Jackie's close shave as "undetermined", but nevertheless the movie was to be filmed at the WTC. Here's some links: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/jackchan.asp, http://www.mania.com/nosebleed-scratched_article_29588.html, http://www.aintitcool.com/?q=node/%0D%0A%09%09%0910191.

Yeah, that "New Yorker" illustration of Petit is quite powerful and I immediately thought of it when I saw your two pictures.

The mall-type setting you described walking through with the closed shops was most likely the Mall at the World Trade Center (it also appears in Stone’s movie). Here’s an official map of it: http://z.about.com/d/manhattan/1/0/o/E/wtcconcourse.gif. When you exited onto the street directly below the towers, were you in the plaza with the Sphere sculpture, or on a sidewalk outside the WTC complex? It’s good you got to enjoy that one spiritual moment at the base of the towers. It must’ve been quite peaceful standing there alone in the night. Could you hear the water flowing from the plaza’s fountain?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRWjZQmACXw.

I know what it feels like to have a moment preserved only in memory: When I was transferring flights at Newark in mid-August of 2001, I didn't bother snapping a photo of the Twin Towers. I pulled out my camera originally intending to, but it lacked a zoom lens and I didn't think the pics would turn out from such a distance without that feature. Since I was planning my first visit to NYC for summer 2002 (to date, I still haven’t been there), I figured the film would be better saved for that occasion and my trip up to the WTC’s outdoor viewing platform, thus I wasted a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, which still haunts me to this day (I remain grateful that I got to see the towers with my own eyes, though).

Heh, my uncle made the climb into Lady Liberty's crown in the '80s and mentioned that the journey up the spiral staircase was particularly difficult when some people would get tired before reaching the crown and decide to go back down while others were still ascending. Unfortunately, he had a disposable camera and used up all the film before entering the statue, so he didn't get any shots through the crown's windows! Hopefully, that wasn't your case. I wonder if they'll ever re-open the crown to the public? It would be a shame if future generations never get the opportunity to climb those spiral stairs and enjoy views from the top.

Yeah, it's truly surreal and scary how much the world changed in the course of that one day. The NYC you left was a very different place from the one you entered. Even today, staying at the Millenium Hilton would be a drastically different experience than it would've been ten years ago. If the attacks had never occurred and everything remained normal, what would've your plans been for the 11th and the rest of your stay in Manhattan?

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[–] Sebulbasaur 16 years ago

We were in NY in 1998. Instead of going up to the observation deck (about $13 if I recall correctly) we went to the restaurant in the other tower (a few floors below the observation deck), we could see the tourists on the observation deck and lovely views of the statue of liberty in the bay. We had breaded calimari if I remember correctly

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[–] Rabipelado 16 years ago

You ate at Windows on the World, Sebulbasaur?: http://z.about.com/d/manhattan/1/0/B/F/flickr-SebastienLvresseDesSens-wtc-windowsontheworld-flickrLINK.jpg. Cool, I've never spoken to anybody who's eaten there, before. How big was the restaurant and what was it like in there? In the 2006 miniseries "The Path to 9/11" there's one brief scene with Harvey Keitel having dinner in a re-created Windows on the World and it didn't look particularly big in the film, though I haven't found many pictures of the real one online to compare with. Was it accessed by a private elevator? Wow, it's pretty cool that you actually remember what you ate there! How was the food?

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[–] karen-holt 16 years ago

My God Hollywoodpsychic, you really were RIGHT THERE on that awful day. And the hotel was right next door? Did you just stay in the hotel? Was it damaged when the towers collapsed? It must have been terrifying.

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

Yeah, the Hilton is directly across the street, but not connected like the Marriot. The view from the hotel room was breath taking... I felt as though, if I had a football and the glass weren't there, I could probably hit Tower one with a good throw. It probably wasn't quite that close, but it sure looked it.

When the second plane hit, all I could see was black smoke and fire. My entire view was consumed with explosion. So yeah... it was damn close!

My friend and I stayed in the hotel from the afternoon of the 9th until we evacuated Tuesday morning. After the evacuation, I hoofed it north, working my way to Bleaker St. where I thought I'd be far enough away from other potential targets and possible crowd stampedes, etc. You have to understand, we had ZERO information to go on. When the second plane hit, all I knew was we were under some kind of intentional attack and I was damn hell not gonna wait around for a third plane. I've always been "cool under pressure" or whatever... so I was pretty clear-headed and calm, but obviously it was a frightening experience. I remember thinking "Ok... we're under attack... try and stay away from landmarks and find a phone." I wanted to call my Mom (who was in Minneapolis) and let her know I was still alive and get any information she might have about what was happening. I didn't know if other cities were being hit... I didn't know if there were chemical agents involved... I wasn't sure if the worst was over or still to come. I remember thinking about the Sarin nerve gas attacks in Tokyo and hoping nothing like that was happening as well.

But before I evacuated, I didn't want to leave. It was scary just thinking about entering the chaos of that street from the tranquility of the hotel room. From my vantage looking down at the streets after the first plane hit, there was no way I wanted to go down there. It looked like hell on earth... just apocalyptic... all broken glass, debris, people streaming onto the streets from all over the place and every emergency vehicle in New York screaming to get there. Not to mention the people I kept seeing falling out of the sky. It was an image of absolute hell. So yeah... I didn't particularly want to enter it. But after the second plane hit, the hotel room didn't feel too safe either and there wasn't really a choice anymore.

Sorry for such a bleak account:) But that's the way it was, for me anyway. And, believe it or not, I'm actually holding back a little for the sake of brevity, etc.

As for the Hiltion, it did sustain a lot of damage. Nearly every other hotel room was destroyed in the collapse from about the 10th floor down. It eventually reoppened 2 years later and you can stay there today. I went back on the 2 year anniversary of the attack and the view was totally depressing.

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] 16 years ago

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[–] hollywoodpsychic 16 years ago

"Man on Wire is probably the best film I have seen so far this year."

That's great to hear! I'm really excited for it. It looks wonderful:)

A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids.

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[–] karen-holt 16 years ago

Hollywoodpsychic - both you and Philippe Petit had utterly unearasable experiences with those buildings. I hope that his may somehow soften yours. Am very eager to hear your impression of the film.

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[–] NJtoTX 16 years ago

I worked on Floor 103 of Tower 1 during the summers when I was in college in the mid 70s. No one survived who was on that floor when the tower was hit on 9/11.

Saw the tall (tiny) ships come in for the bicentennial. Saw many helicopters below me. Automated window washer always freaked me out. Some days you couldn't see out of the windows due to clouds. My view was West towards Jersey, but I could also see the South view and Tower 2 easily. The bigwigs looked north and looked down on the Empire State. Only had a few occasions to see that direction. The East view toward Brooklyn involved taking quite a long walk to the other side of the building.

Jumping when you were alone in the elevator as it got up to the 78th floor skylobby would send you up like Michael Jordan. Not swallowing to clear your ears was a mistake. It took about 40 seconds to go up or down.

You felt the building sway, especially when you were sitting on the can.

Missed Petit's walk by 45 minutes to an hour. Came in through the path train under the building at about 8:15.

By the way, the stairways were wrong in the movie. They were wider than the ones shown.

Days till election 75, and 77 more till Bush is history

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[–] Rabipelado 16 years ago

Thanks for describing what it was like to work at the WTC, NJtoTX. It must've been quite the experience! What did the interiors of the Twin Towers look like (also, aside from their width, were the real stairways similar to those in the movie)? Most pictures I've seen online are either of the plaza, lobbies, or observation deck.

Sorry to hear you missed Petit’s walk by such little time. It’s a shame his team didn’t get to film it (the photos are still breathtaking, though). Did you at least get to see his wire attached to the towers, or was it already taken down by the time you got to work?

By the way, were you still working at the WTC when they filmed the climatic scenes of the 1976 “King Kong” remake starring Jeff Bridges & Jessica Lange? Here’s some old Super 8 footage of the crew at work, while Kong lies in the plaza: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tF20xoFwwqM.

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[–] NJtoTX 16 years ago

I'm thinking I saw the wire, but I'm not positive. Similar with Kong - I don't remember seeing any Kong stuff. I was only there a couple of months during the summers in 2 years. But I can't trust my memory, either.

Another thing - the windows were strips and a lot like airplane windows (no irony intended). They were double thick plastic and never really gave you a clear view or sideways angle.

Only reason I remember the stairways was the fact that our fire drills consisted of getting in the stairway at 103 and going down to 100, simulating going below the fire.

An excellent book about what was going on inside the towers on 9/11 is 102 Minutes : The Untold Story of the Fight to Survive Inside the Twin Towers by Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn http://www.amazon.com/102-Minutes-Untold-Survive-Inside/dp/B000FTWB12/ ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220319275&sr=8-1

An aside - my mom and a lot of others hated those buildings when they went up. She loved the Chrysler Building and liked the Empire State, but when the Towers went up she thought they were an eyesore, just massive boxes with no character.

Days till election 65, and 77 more till Bush is history

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[–] karen-holt 16 years ago

Sounds like an awesome book NJtoTX. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. I've been to NY a number of times, but only once - my very first visit - before 2001. It was during a four-hour layover on a flight from Miami to Europe, and we barely had time to get into the city, take a qucik walk around central downtown, get my picture taken on Broadway, and then dash back to JFK. I saw the towers in the distance and thought it would be so awesome to go to the top of them, but we just didn't have the time. How I wish now we had!

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[–] Hank-103 15 years ago

An aside - my mom and a lot of others hated those buildings when they went up. She loved the Chrysler Building and liked the Empire State, but when the Towers went up she thought they were an eyesore, just massive boxes with no character.

That's exactly the way I felt. I was born in NYC and grew up in the burbs, the Empire State Building was my idea of a skyscraper. I had moved away by the time the WTC was built, but even on my frequent return trips I never had any interest in visiting the towers. Part of it may have been the fact that locals rarely visit their own tourist sites (I didn't visit the Statue of Liberty until some visiting cousins wanted to see it when I was in high school), part of it may have been some unexpected conservatism (buildings looked better than this when I was a boy!), but for some reason I never found the buildings to be especially attractive.

I think I visited the WTC only twice. I remember being downtown with my Dad once and he had to stop in at an office there, all I remember was that CNN (which was pretty new at the time) had an office in the lobby. (I could be wrong about that, but that's what I remember.) And then years later, probably in the 90's, I was visiting NYC with my girlfriend, and she asked me to take her to the top of the WTC. So I obliged. I remember that it was a spectacularly clear day, incredible view of the city. I'm not badly scared of heights, but I have to admit to a little unease that day, those were some damn tall buildings.

Now that I'll never have the chance again, I'm very glad that my girlfriend made me go to the top of the tower.

Oh, yeah, about Man on Wire: I thought that Petit, in addition to being stunningly talented, was unbearably self-absorbed and conceited. Everything is always about him. The supplementary material on the DVD included an interview with him, in which he's absolutely insufferable. I don't think his talent or his artistic temperament excuses any of this, the man is simply an *beep*

Having said that: The movie was superb. And I was astounded by how incredibly comfortable he was on a wire, whether it was a few feet up or a quarter-mile off the ground. It was an amazing achievement, I'm really glad that he did it, and I'm even happier that someone made a movie about it.

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[–] deathbyhippies5 16 years ago

Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to visit the twin towers. I was eight years old on 9/11, and I barely even knew what the buildings were. The only time I had seen them beforehand was in Home Alone 2. Ever since, it has been my biggest fantasty to stand on top of the observation deck and see all of New York.

Every time I watch a movie that features the towers, I'm stricken by their beauty, height, and simplicity. Now, when I see a picture of the Manhattan skyline, it feels empty. In my mind, I fill in the towers, but it's never the same.

That is why I support the Twin Towers II plan. Honestly, does anybody want the dreaded Freedom Tower to be built on such sacred ground? We're fighting a losing battle now, but there's a chance we can restore one of the best examples of architectual ingenuity and creativity that the world has ever seen.

Help rebuild the Twin Towers! Sign the petition at twintowersalliance.com

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[–] 16 years ago

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