5:55 pm, Grand Central Station today

Wow, Grand Central today was pretty freaky. I got there just as everything went haywire today. A little before 6:00 p.m., I came out of the subway and was making the dash to catch my train home, when there was this weird crowd reaction as a few people yelled and everyone listened really intently, and then people just turned and ran for the doors. I hadn't heard what was said, but saw the crowd go one way and then another, like frightened gazelles on the plain, and in a split second decided to run with everyone for doors and out onto the street.

And there, just across the street was a building completely engulfed in smoke, with debris raining down on all of us, showers of yellowish dust landing on everyone's glasses, suit jackets and blouses.

I lived in New York on 9/11, and here was this mass of humanity running away from a smoking building, constantly looking back to see if anything had changed behind them, and it was all too familiar. On the sidewalk were abandoned briefcases and scattered high heels, and all around were huge numbers of people running as fast as they could. A lot of them were sobbing and almost everyone was talking on their cellphones.

I went with the crowd, not particularly panicked actually, just running and not knowing what to expect. I had a quick flash when I hoped and prayed that it wasn't my time, but as I got further from the station, things were calmer and all I really wanted was to get out of the city and back to my family.

At one point, I pulled my phone out to call Andy, and damn, my phone was dead. Right then I realized Andy was out of town and I wouldn't find him at his office around the corner anyway, which was a bummer. I would have loved to have seen him right then, right there, and gotten the hell out of dodge together.

I headed over to the West Side, got money from the bank machine in case the subways weren't working and I'd need to get a cab home (I had about $2 in my wallet and remembered 9/11 when the bank machines ran out). A nice woman on the sidewalk let me borrow her phone and I called my brother who works uptown, and we arranged to meet, so when I got out of the subway uptown, he was there with his kids in the back of the car, waiting to take me home. A wonderful sight indeed.

I'm still processing the day. Getting home took hours, and I'm itchy all over (even more so after hearing on the news there was asbestos in the air), and am feeling generally unsettled. Here was this scare, and thankfully, it wasn't what we feared, but getting back to a-ok normal feels forced.

I'm sure there are a lot of New Yorkers who are feeling jittery and off balance tonight, and are not knowing quite what to make of the day, like me.

Comments

[cooper munroe]

Oh Em, I am so glad everything turned out OK and that you are safe.

[sharon]

Emily, oh my goodness. I was there too. Luckily my husband was in the city and we managed to find each other. He had his car with him so we drove home. If I had known, we could have driven you home as well. so glad your brother was there. I know that wierd feeling you are having.. I had it too. I kept thinking of my kids and preying it was not my time.
sooo glad you are safe. Sharon

[ann adams]

I watched CNN for the longest time yesterday.

I'm so glad you weren't hurt and that you were able to make it home safely. You must have terrified.

I was 19 floors up in San Francisco during the 1989 Loma Prieta quake (the one that knocked out a section of the Bay Bridge and was featured on the Giants/Oakland World Series game) and I remember being so frightened as I made my way down all those stair. Not for me so much, our building was as safe as anything could be but for my family and friends.

And wondering of course how I'd make it home. I was walking distance but everything was broken concrete and glass.

Scary.

[Sue]

Goodness, how scary. I've just come across your site through Danigirl and took a look at the pictures.

It must have been frightening running with the crowd and not knowing what you were trying to get away from.

Glad to hear you (and everyone else) are okay.

[PunditMom]

I'm so sorry you were actually in it, but am glad you're OK. PunditGirl and I were in NYC for a couple of days and our hotel was just a few blocks from there. The thing that I also found scary was the constantly circling helicopters in that neighborhood the next day. That, too, was way to reminiscent of 9/11.