I go to work early over here in the Pacific time zone. When I was turning off the TV to leave the house for work, the first tower was hit. At the time, I thought it was maybe an errant Cessna or something and I left for work.
On the drive, I listed to the news as they tried to figure out what kind of plane it was and which floors were damaged. Then reports of the second tower being struck came through and I remember thinking, "this has to be a planned terrorist event, two planes hitting the same landmark is too much of a coincidence."
At work (a brokerage) everyone was crowded around the TV monitors watching CNBC, CNN, MSNBC and the other news stations. We watched the events unfold and stuck together for a bit as we were not sure whether the markets would open or not. Fortunately the markets were closed and we were able to just talk together and deal with what we were watching. Some of our people were trying to call friends in NYC to find out if people they were connected to were in the towers that day.
It was really surreal. I remember when the towers collapsed and the Pentagon was hit how we were wondering what would be next (with all those planes still in the air, we were worried).
We split up and left the office. I drove home. Not wanting to be alone watching the news, I went to a local pub and watched the news with others from the neighborhood.
It's the kind of event that stays with you. I can only imagine what it was like for people in NY and for those that lost loved ones.
Although it's something to remember, I'm sick of seeing the massive coverage in the media this week and particularly today.