How could it be just happening Sharon? You're thinking more planes crashed into the remains of the WTC??? Come on, girl, that's not going to happen!<BR><BR>It was interesting to re-read, especially Ginny's comments, I agree with Sue, and I don't ever want to forget the intensity of hate I had at that point for the terrorists, or the horror of that act. This thread is an interesting record of the event and our reactions to it, a piece of Fodors history, and one heck of a lot more interesting reading than 75% of what's been up here recently!

I, for one, was glad that this was brought to the top. Reading this thread gave me a more immediate and personal view of that day's events, which I had never gotten. I was in Beirut on 9/11, about to board a plane to Iran for two months.<BR><BR>I had stopped to have a very late lunch when the footage of the first plane was shown on Arabic TV. I recognized the WTC tower and asked the men what it was about. Out of courtesy, they switched the TV to an English channel and we all watched transfixed as we saw, live, the second plane hit. We all knew then that it was no accident.<BR><BR>The most surreal part was that, just under the TV, was a window where we could clearly see, at the same time, a large mortar shell scar on the building across the street . The people I was watching 9/11 unfold with knew first hand the terror of war.<BR><BR>Everywhere I went in the Middle East and Iran over the next four months (solo), all that I encountered were expressions of shock, sorrow and disbelief. Ordinary people would approach me many times at day to express these sentiments; they could not fathom how this could have happened.<BR><BR>Many asked me what we (Westerners) thought of them: Egyptians, Syrians, Iranis, etc.. Although I told them that we did not think that they were terrorists, I knew that we (and at least the US gov't) did and that our ignorance was costly for all. I still think that.<BR><BR>Please don't start a flame war over this last comment or say that I'm unpatriotic or that I am naive when it comes to the "War on Terrorism" - I'm just stating what I feel after travelling extensively in the ME after 9/11. This thread only deserves respect and my posting just wanted to bring the POV of a post 9/11 ME traveller.

How well I remember seeing Ginny's original post on this thread on September 10 (here in Australia)... we were due to head to New York for a holiday two days later.<BR>I have read dozens of reports, seen scores of TV programmes, and heard countless discussions about that terrible day, but nothing I read, saw, or heard has had the impact of this Fodor's thread. I think it deserves the status of an historical document! The Fodor's board may be designed for light comment and discussion, but with this post it entered a new dimension. It should be preserved forever, like the announcement of Pearl Harbour or Neil Armstrong's words as he set foot on the Moon. I am happy it has come back up to the top, to remind us all of our emotions on that day, and I am grateful to Ginny for starting the thread in the first place. God bless!

Life goes on. Stop dwelling on the past!

Sharon, each time that you post it goes back to the top! It's a self-defeating exercise.

I don't think we should EVER forget the chills or anxiety we may get everytime we see this post near the top. Americans are so use to being comfortable that sometimes we need reminders that unfortunately, not everyone is this world loves this country. <BR><BR>When this first happened, I remember telling my students that one of my fears was that people would get complacent again in a few months and forget what happened. I think that this post helps people lose their complacency.<BR><BR>I hope that people are going back to NYC and spending their travel dollars there. I was there last Nov and the pain in people's faces was still there but you could see life moving again.<BR><BR>I agree with those that say this is a historical document. I teach history and had my students write about the day and are keeping them for historical reasons. I hope Ginny and others that contributed to the post that day realize that they were a comfort to others.<BR>

I realize that this a very delicate topic, 3000 innocent people died in the TT,the world stopped and mourned our victims, how about if we started to realize that every day 24000 kids die of hunger and that we sponsor many brutes that butcher their own citizens We are now killing innocent civilians in Afghanistan in the name of those workers in the TT, why?

Why? What a stupid question. We are not killing any "innocent" civilians in Afghanistan.

What do you mean we are not killing any innocent civilians in Afghanistan, we have killed hundreds if not thousands( Un official UN stats talks of at least 7000) do you have ham on your ears or what? we whiped out entire villages of innocent farmers!!! What have they got to do with the TT? Was any Afghani citizen on those aircrafts? Is Bin laden Afghani? I think that the only reason that we are trying to conquer that country is the same old story. OIL OIL OIL!! WE HAVE STRUCK OIL!!!

What Joe means, you morons, is that we're not INTENTIONALLY killing civilians in Afghanistan, that we try to AVOID killing civilians, and that we genuinely REGRET killing civilians. Unlike, I might add, those who are plotting to kill us even as we speak. If the Afghan government (the Taliban, remember them?) hadn't been giving aid and comfort to terrorists they wouldn't have subjected their people to any of this. And what makes you think that Afghanistan has any significant oil reserves? Good grief, get your nose out of the Boston Globe and NY Times and read a newspaper sometime.

Hey Sheesh, I work for an oil company and can guarantee that Afghanistan has the largest oil reservoir in the world yet to be exploited, the current puppet president of that damned nation happens to be the largest share holder of Encol who has been trying to exploit those oil wells for years and that is supposed to build the pipeline that goes through Afghanistan starting from Tagikistan and ending in Pakistan. The sad thing is that our news never mentions these facts. Have you ever thought how strange that we never managed even to get close to Bin Laden in these years but a young twenty year old Calfornian idiot did? strange eh? maybe he is more efficient than our CIA!

I hope this thread survives. It can be one of the greatest reminders of the day we learned how vulnerable we really are.<BR><BR>I've sat and re-read these notes and it revived all the fear I felt that day. I'm past the fear now but we need to keep vignettes like this alive - maybe to honor those who are no longer with us.<BR><BR>God bless.<BR><BR>

For the record, both Oil and Gas Journal and World Oil, two authoritative industry journals, list Afghanistan's oil reserves (2001 data) as zero, nada, zip. They have a very small amount of natural gas, 3.5 trillion cubic feet. Even oil companies employ janitors.

I couldn't help but to note the change in tone as the dates of the posts wore their way from the initial incident on September 11th. It appears as time goes on so does unnecessary, incessant bickering... It's unfortunate.

Eleven monthes later this post had me sobbing once again. I work in NJ & saw the initial smoke & thoght some poor B------ had a heart attack & flew his small plane into the building (the plane was so far into the building you could not tell it was commercial). The est of that day was worries re family & friend tha worked in the buildings & surrounding areas (they were fine Thank God)<BR>Can't believe the difference in people for a few weeks, now all is back to normal in so many ways. Just don't forget thise that perished at WTC, PA & the Pentagon.

Please people, if you want to bicker about the politics of this; who has oil reserves, who is killing whom, please, would you mind doing it elsewhere, perhaps another thread? You have every right to debate these issues with each other, but I truly do not want to destroy the value this thread retains for all of us, with that negativity. We all need to preserve the reminder of what good we had that day, week, month, whatever, and it wasn't what you all are about now. What we saw in these posts was the good in humanity, even between strangers, what humans are when innards are exposed by raw fear combined with hatred against a common enemy. It was a first for the previously always isolated US, and we were loving, to a man. Most of us experienced a new sense of pride of who we are as a nation. <BR><BR>I hope this thread is not ruined, that we can look back at this and recall what microscopical good did come of that day. At that point we were all reduced to our basic, honest selves, not cynics spouting individual ideologies. We were grabbing onto each other and holding on tight--the sort of thing we should be about every single day of our lives, but have gotten away from, to our own detriment. Let it stand, here, OK? Take it elsewhere? This means too much to too many of us to have it ruined now by this sort of petty bickering.<BR><BR>This national togetherness is something I've experienced only one other time in my life, when Kennedy was shot. It's hallowed ground. Let's not sully it, OK?

Wow. I too stumbled across this website looking for travel advice and this thread... what a piece of history this is to read.<BR><BR>Obviously I am awestruck by the dialogue with Ginny and those who gave her comfort, but I must add special thanks to our friends overseas who expressed their support here, the Canadians, Britons, Australians, etc. Your empathy is truly heartwarming. Thank you.