The hype was big on TV and in the newspapers about the grand rededication ceremony for the newly-refurbished Statue of Liberty. It promised that the celebration would attract millions of visitors to New York and that the fireworks display would be the greatest one ever. I was hooked. I wanted to be there.
New York was only 4 hours away driving the then 55 MPH speed limit and I was not about to let an opportunity like this slip by. Plus, I loved New York, so it wouldn't take a really big excuse for me to haul ass there.
None of my friends were overly hyped about this event as I was and each had made other plans for the 4th, so I asked someone I barely knew just so I wouldn't be going alone.
Britanny was the main lobby administrative assistant at BVC which I had newly been hired as the Recreation Coordinator. I mentioned a week or so before that I was planning on going and, if need be, would go alone, when she mentioned she would love to go.
I don't know if she thought that there might be an opportunity for this to be regarded as a "date", so to be safe, I "came out" to her as non-chalantly as possible. But I may have been too "non-chalant" and only hinted that I might be gay, because as events proceeded, I did get a bit of a vibe from her that she was expecting something more. Of course, she didn't get it, and even on the basis of forming a friendship, I wasn't really interested. I had already surmised that we had little in common, but I wanted a companion for my trip so, she was it.
We took the Amtrak to New York and arrived at Penn Station in the late afternoon. We hit the food court in the station as, for both of us, money was tight and I wanted to not spend too much on this trip.
In fact, not wanting to spend any extra money, since it was a gorgeous day, I suggested we walk to our planned destination, Battery Park, about 18 blocks south.
By sunset, the crowd was really starting to swell and by nightfall, it was enormous. It was so crowded and people were clamoring for the very prime spots near the edge of the park overlooking the harbor and the Statue in the distance. At first, we were able to make a little picnic area and lounge on the grass near a tree towards the edge, but the people kept coming. And soon there was no room to lie or even sit lotus style on the grass since it became standing room only.
Within 20 feet of our location, someone set off a M-80 and I could see at least one victim bleeding. The cops tried to come to their aid but it was so packed, they couldn't make it through the throng. Eventually, EMTs were called and somehow, they were able to squeeze through to the man and get him out to the safety of the ambulance many yards away.
Being young and adventurous, I don't think I felt anything like that of real "fear", but thinking back to that event and the dangerous conditions, it would not be pleasant to be in that crowd today, especially in "our times". (Of course, today, there would never be any opportunity for such a massively packed crowd to amass, with no organized security and no pre-screening, so the point, I guess, is mute.)
Britanny and I were both tall, so luckily, even though we had lost our prime location and comfort, we still had a clear view of the Statue and surroundings.
When the firworks went off, it quickly built to a display that I venture noone has seen up to that time or since. According to the common knowledge, 8 barges had been arranged around the southern tip of Manhattan, all loaded with some of the biggest fireworks ever.
Let me tell you, the sound, light, vibration and even heat of the bursts were nothing short of phenomenal. Each blast illuminated the thousands of boats in the harbor, the skyscrapers all around and faces of the multitudes gathered in amazement.
I have said before, that now that I have borne witness to the gratest fireworks display in history, no other show can compare. I am jaded.
After the show, the throng started to slowly disperse but, since there were SO MANY people, it did so VERY SLOWLY. It took us 2 hours to walk 2 blocks!
We finally made it back to Penn Station for the 3:00 AM train, collapsed in our seats and slept until we arrived home to Providence.
But one little snippet which occured on the way back to Penn Station from Battery Park:
Of course, I had been sipping beers all evening and so I felt a little giddy. As we walked north from Battery Park, we passed right by the front entrance to one of the towers of the World Trade Center. On a whim, I went up the steps and pulled on one off the large glass doors. I called to Brittany, who, since she was in heels, wasn't keeping up with my pace. "Hey, let's go up to the Observation Deck." I tried to pull open the door but, of course, being in the wee hours of the morning, it was locked.
"I've never been up there", I said, leaning back and trying to take in the vast height of the building.
After I became aware that I would not be gaining entry tonite, I said, "Oh well, I'll come back another time."
Although I had been back to New York many times since, I remained mostly Uptown and continued to think when time to leave to go back home..."Damn, didn't make it to to the top of the World Trade Center again...oh well, I'll come back another time."
It was kinda like the Harry Chapin classic, "Cats In The Cradle".
It's funny the things that flash in your mind during a tragedy, but it is this "I'll come back another time" phrase, first uttered on that most celebratory night years before, that came to mind when I woke up on September 11th, 2001 and turned on my TV. I realized that I had missed my chance, and there wouldn't be "another time".
New York was only 4 hours away driving the then 55 MPH speed limit and I was not about to let an opportunity like this slip by. Plus, I loved New York, so it wouldn't take a really big excuse for me to haul ass there.
None of my friends were overly hyped about this event as I was and each had made other plans for the 4th, so I asked someone I barely knew just so I wouldn't be going alone.
Britanny was the main lobby administrative assistant at BVC which I had newly been hired as the Recreation Coordinator. I mentioned a week or so before that I was planning on going and, if need be, would go alone, when she mentioned she would love to go.
I don't know if she thought that there might be an opportunity for this to be regarded as a "date", so to be safe, I "came out" to her as non-chalantly as possible. But I may have been too "non-chalant" and only hinted that I might be gay, because as events proceeded, I did get a bit of a vibe from her that she was expecting something more. Of course, she didn't get it, and even on the basis of forming a friendship, I wasn't really interested. I had already surmised that we had little in common, but I wanted a companion for my trip so, she was it.
We took the Amtrak to New York and arrived at Penn Station in the late afternoon. We hit the food court in the station as, for both of us, money was tight and I wanted to not spend too much on this trip.
In fact, not wanting to spend any extra money, since it was a gorgeous day, I suggested we walk to our planned destination, Battery Park, about 18 blocks south.
By sunset, the crowd was really starting to swell and by nightfall, it was enormous. It was so crowded and people were clamoring for the very prime spots near the edge of the park overlooking the harbor and the Statue in the distance. At first, we were able to make a little picnic area and lounge on the grass near a tree towards the edge, but the people kept coming. And soon there was no room to lie or even sit lotus style on the grass since it became standing room only.
Within 20 feet of our location, someone set off a M-80 and I could see at least one victim bleeding. The cops tried to come to their aid but it was so packed, they couldn't make it through the throng. Eventually, EMTs were called and somehow, they were able to squeeze through to the man and get him out to the safety of the ambulance many yards away.
Being young and adventurous, I don't think I felt anything like that of real "fear", but thinking back to that event and the dangerous conditions, it would not be pleasant to be in that crowd today, especially in "our times". (Of course, today, there would never be any opportunity for such a massively packed crowd to amass, with no organized security and no pre-screening, so the point, I guess, is mute.)
Britanny and I were both tall, so luckily, even though we had lost our prime location and comfort, we still had a clear view of the Statue and surroundings.
When the firworks went off, it quickly built to a display that I venture noone has seen up to that time or since. According to the common knowledge, 8 barges had been arranged around the southern tip of Manhattan, all loaded with some of the biggest fireworks ever.
Let me tell you, the sound, light, vibration and even heat of the bursts were nothing short of phenomenal. Each blast illuminated the thousands of boats in the harbor, the skyscrapers all around and faces of the multitudes gathered in amazement.
I have said before, that now that I have borne witness to the gratest fireworks display in history, no other show can compare. I am jaded.
After the show, the throng started to slowly disperse but, since there were SO MANY people, it did so VERY SLOWLY. It took us 2 hours to walk 2 blocks!
We finally made it back to Penn Station for the 3:00 AM train, collapsed in our seats and slept until we arrived home to Providence.
But one little snippet which occured on the way back to Penn Station from Battery Park:
Of course, I had been sipping beers all evening and so I felt a little giddy. As we walked north from Battery Park, we passed right by the front entrance to one of the towers of the World Trade Center. On a whim, I went up the steps and pulled on one off the large glass doors. I called to Brittany, who, since she was in heels, wasn't keeping up with my pace. "Hey, let's go up to the Observation Deck." I tried to pull open the door but, of course, being in the wee hours of the morning, it was locked.
"I've never been up there", I said, leaning back and trying to take in the vast height of the building.
After I became aware that I would not be gaining entry tonite, I said, "Oh well, I'll come back another time."
Although I had been back to New York many times since, I remained mostly Uptown and continued to think when time to leave to go back home..."Damn, didn't make it to to the top of the World Trade Center again...oh well, I'll come back another time."
It was kinda like the Harry Chapin classic, "Cats In The Cradle".
It's funny the things that flash in your mind during a tragedy, but it is this "I'll come back another time" phrase, first uttered on that most celebratory night years before, that came to mind when I woke up on September 11th, 2001 and turned on my TV. I realized that I had missed my chance, and there wouldn't be "another time".