Horrible. God. In one moment, it's like 6 years have not passed. You never forget. It's muscle memory. I was 2 blocks away, walking west on 41st - towards my bus home - when I felt the ground rumble - this horrible sensation - truly sickening, a lurch - and suddenly there was an explosion. I didn't see it - but I felt it in my eardrums - and I looked east and saw towers of black smoke pouring up from the street. And then I was running, as fast as I could- west - away from the smoke. Everyone was running. I've seen the pictures now - of the flipped cars and shit - and am just grateful I was 2 blocks away, and not 1 block. It was horrible. by the time I got home, rattled and shaken up - I hung out at the deli across the street watching the news with a crowd of neighbors, a couple of whom had stories like mine- and at that point nobody had died. It said only 12 people injured - and having seen that blast - I was amazed that nobody died. It looked so apocalyptic. Now I read that one person has died. Bah. It's awful.
Posted by sheila | TrackBackmy daughter lives only two blocks from there.
like you she was on her way home. she didn't
tell me about it because she knows how i get.
my wife told me last night. she's only been
in ny for a few months and i'm not too crazy
about it, especially with the way things are
today. glad you weren't any closer, sounded
really bad.
Awful, indeed.
I saw a couple of pics in the paper today and I thought instantly of that time six years ago. And this also comes 13 years to the day when terrorists blew up an entire building only a couple blocks away from my university in Buenos Aires. Horrible memories...
I'm glad you were not any closer!
Posted by: Ceci at July 19, 2007 9:37 AMOh, red. I'm sorry you went through that. It sounds horrible.
Posted by: sarahk at July 19, 2007 10:07 AMMy coworker tells me that overseas, newspapers were assuming it was another Terrorist attack, and reporting it as such. I haven't seen any papers referring to that just yet.
Posted by: wutzizname at July 19, 2007 1:08 PMI saw that on the news and my first thought was, "OMG, Red lives there..."
Horrible.
I also flashed back six years when I saw it on the news. I suspect that none of us alive at that time will ever again avoid flashing back whenever something like the steampipe explosion happens.
I'm glad you're okay.
Posted by: ricki at July 19, 2007 1:09 PMArrgh. I am now prejudiced against all steam pipes and will actively support secret prisons where we force those steam pipes to give us information about other steam pipes.
Posted by: Brendan O'Malley at July 19, 2007 1:28 PMBren - ha!!! I miss you!
I talked to Liz who works on that block - and she had some insane stories to tell. Horrible!
Posted by: red at July 19, 2007 1:36 PMThought of you when I heard about it. Glad you're okay, red.
Posted by: Amanda at July 19, 2007 1:42 PMWow, Sheila--glad you're o.k. Was a little stunned seeing the images on the evening news last night--the other person in the waiting room with me said, "What the heck!?" (Whose brilliant idea was it to put the grim evening news on in a hospital?)
Your perspective is greatly appreciated; sorry you (and others) had to be around it.
Posted by: Kate P at July 19, 2007 2:13 PMAm glad you are alright, Sheila - and that more people werent hurt. How awful!!
Posted by: Sharon Ferguson at July 19, 2007 2:46 PMNow I'm completely paranoid about everything you do and everywhere you go.
This sucks.
Posted by: Alex at July 19, 2007 3:40 PMGod am I glad you're okay.
Posted by: alli at July 19, 2007 4:57 PMSheila -- Oh, so so scary. I'm just totally relieved you're all right.
Posted by: tracey at July 19, 2007 7:31 PMOh Sheila!!! that is frightening. glad you're ok.
Posted by: mere at July 20, 2007 10:34 AMterrible terrible!
glad you're okay!
Posted by: bill at July 20, 2007 11:31 AMI'm such an idiot - I never even thought about the possibility that the explosion might be near you. Sorry about the bad memories dredged up, glad you're OK.
Posted by: miker at July 21, 2007 4:45 PM