As a young boy/teenager, I grew up in Warren, NJ. (If you drew a line following Rt. 78 from Manhattan, NY to Easton, PA, Warren is at the half-way point). My father was the police chief in town, which provided me a unique perspective on things.(the topic for another column).
The topography of that part of NJ is that the land, from NYC and the ocean is flat for about 18 miles inland, until you reach the first of the “Watchung Hills/Mountains”.
I lived on a street that was just over the first ridge of the “Mountains” and it was easy to see the NYC skyline from the end of our neighborhood. I recall as a young boy, observing the construction progress of the World Trade Center towers rising above the city.
The original towers.
Another place that you could always see the towers was when you were traveling on Rt. 22, just East of the Springfield Ave. overpass in Union. The twin towers rose above the treetops and you could see them for a few seconds while driving…even at night.
I recall noticing that the towers were missing on my last, several visits.
My father was in Jersey City on 9/11/2001 and watched the towers fall from the NJ waterfront.
On my visit to NJ earlier this week, I saw the new Tower, rising like a phoenix from Rt. 22 at Springfield Ave. and then again, closer when I was in Kearny and Harrison.
The view caught my attention, literally caused me to gasp and then brought a smile to my face. It was a pleasant surprise.
“Always remember” what happened to us that day, but take pride in the fact that we are re-building the Center.
Winners never lose….we win.
The “new” World Trade Centers,
I watched the towers fall on TV and cannot imagine the horror of actually being there. When I was in New York this summer, we went to the memorial site. It was a profoundly moving moment, with the emotions made stronger by the two new towers rising up straight, tall and proud.
Moving post Ray…thank you