9-11
I used to love going on business trips because my clients usually could afford to send me to a nice hotel. Well in the summer of 2001 I was making plans to visit a client in New York. Normally, I would spend a week visiting the client. We had decided that the best time was in early September probably the week after labor day since we would have a full work week. However, a few weeks later another client proposed we should visit them in Paris in early September. Since I had been to New York several times and never to Paris, my choice was made. Our Paris trip was planned for September 13. On September 11th, I was in Montreal walking down Mcgill College street going to the client to get my plane tickets to Paris. I went into the Indigo bookstore to have a coffee since I was early for the meeting. I heard people murmuring like did you see what happened but most other things did not register. I went for a walk outside and saw a crowd of people looking at tv sets inside the Planet Hollywood that was located in the Eaton Centre in downtown Montreal. As I peeked, I saw the World Trade Center smoldering. I thought at the time wow these are cool movie effects and what movie was this. Then I saw Tom Brokaw appearing on the screen looking somber. I faintly heard him say what you are seeing is not a movie but the World Trade Center is really on fire. Jesus. Then the video of the planes crashing into the buildings.
Later that day, the client gave us the plane tickets and smilingly said have a nice trip. Well, we never went to Paris on September 13th since most planes were still grounded. We did finally go October 11th. I sure was not keen to fly after seeing those planes crashing into the buildings and was hyperventilating all through the flight. Paris was like an armed camp with soldiers posted everywhere even in department stores. I only realized later upon reflection that it was probably the safest time to travel with so much armed security. Anyways, yes the other client in New York was in the World Trade Center somewhere around the 85th floor. Nobody was harmed in his office since most of the workers were out of the office. He invited me to come and visit him when he could set up another temporary office but the documents I would need to look at were all lost. I told him we would postpone it for sometime in the future (I never did go).
Later that day, the client gave us the plane tickets and smilingly said have a nice trip. Well, we never went to Paris on September 13th since most planes were still grounded. We did finally go October 11th. I sure was not keen to fly after seeing those planes crashing into the buildings and was hyperventilating all through the flight. Paris was like an armed camp with soldiers posted everywhere even in department stores. I only realized later upon reflection that it was probably the safest time to travel with so much armed security. Anyways, yes the other client in New York was in the World Trade Center somewhere around the 85th floor. Nobody was harmed in his office since most of the workers were out of the office. He invited me to come and visit him when he could set up another temporary office but the documents I would need to look at were all lost. I told him we would postpone it for sometime in the future (I never did go).
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