Unexplainable in New York

To be clear I love New York!    Who doesn’t is the question…. it’s big, it’s bold, it’s a city of dreams and mystery.  The town I grew up in was the antithesis of New York City; but here I was walking the streets of this famous city, it was early spring of 2005 and I was here for work in my pre-Accenture days….  I can hear you all now, is that possible…..was there a life before Accenture for TW???  Surprisingly yes, I had been to New York during my travels on many occasions, both pre and post 9/11 and in fact had worked on and off at the North tower of the WTC (32^nd floor) while working on a project in the late 90's.  

TW and Sami in front of the Flatiron Building -
23rd & 5th Avenue, NYC - circa 2010 

I still remember being at a meeting in the financial district in downtown Toronto on that fateful day.  Seeing the terror and drama of what was unfolding in New York City on a nearby television, but this isn’t a story about 9/11 or where I was that day or how I felt that terrible day. 

It was four years removed and I had just put in another long and exhausting day working with my team at a well-known Investment bank developing a Sarbanes-Oxley solution (Financial Reporting).  As I trudged up Liberty Street toward Broadway, feeling tired and hungry, the shadows getting longer and the light beginning to fade on that relatively clear evening.  

I rounded the corner onto Broadway and in the distance I spotted Modell’s Sports store just a short walk away and always worth a peek I thought to myself as my pace quickened. I began walking north along Broadway in the direction of my hotel and noticing a bookstore nearby I decided to nip in and get myself a new read before my eventual stop at Modell’s.  I paused briefly to cross the road, looking hastily so as not to get run down by one of the well renowned New York cabbies.  

The next instant I was thrown into a strange new world, almost jumping out of my skin as a deep and loud wail began jarring my senses albeit slowly at first.   I froze, as did everyone around me, including the cars that now began to slow and then stop in the middle of Broadway.

I’d heard this sound before - it was the sound was of an air-raid siren.   Strangely it felt just like a scene from London during the blitz – the noise was deafening as it wailed all around me.  What was going on?   You could feel the mood of those around me change from curiosity to fear as the deafening noise continued unabated.

People began flooding from the stores and shops and stood along side me on the sidewalk (footpath for those in Australia), we were just a couple of blocks from ground zero, a place where too many memories haunted these streets.  Clearly the feelings of that devastating day were still etched deep and raw in the psyche of the local shop owners and residents, fear visible in their faces as they starred in disbelief at those around them unsure of what was to come.

The longer it went on the more afraid I actually became, the eeriness of the sound made me extremely skittish and rather than wait around for whatever was going down I made my way into the book store, pushing past the two assistants craning from the doorway speaking in hushed tones as I moved quickly toward the back of the store, not sure where I was going or what I was doing, all I knew is that I didn’t want to be close to the street if there was a bomb or some such.

Looking uptown along Broadway from Liberty Street

The air raid siren went on for about 3 – 4 minutes, and just as quickly as it started it stopped mid howl, replaced by complete silence except for the wind moving amongst the tall buildings. Broadway was littered with cars as their drivers stood rooted to the street all-looking to the sky.

It took a minute or two for everyone to regain their composure, the strain clearly evident as people resumed their business.  I was done; I didn’t really need a book that badly, Modell’s would have to wait for another day and I quickly made my way back to the hotel – was it to change my underwear perhaps?  (You’ll never know J).  

Was it a false alarm?   Were they testing a warning system of some sort?  The lobby was full of hotel guests, stranger’s moments before now sharing their thoughts and feelings with one another.   A rather nervous and decidedly pale-faced hotel staff member assured us that everything was okay and there was no need for concern….   It didn’t help calm my nerves one little bit! 

When I got to my room I quickly switched on the television expecting to see the story unfolding and so I began scanning the news channels one by one – NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, CNN…. still nothing, that’s strange I thought?   It was at this point I tried to call home, but the cell signals were all out and now I became increasingly worried and paranoid that something major was happening, if not here then somewhere in the US, but with the lack of information it was hard to remain calm.   I retreated to a hot bath and an early bed my immediate hunger lost.  Sleep eluded me for much of the night as a deep unease settled over me.

Next morning I expected the newspapers to be awash with coverage of the air raid siren story.  I scanned the front page of the New York Times – nothing, quickly flipping page after page, but still nothing.  Had I dreamed the whole thing?   The other people I saw in the hotel lobby that morning were asking similar questions so it couldn’t have been a dream for all of us….

All I know is that whenever I go down to lower Manhattan the hairs on the back of my neck still stand on end as I recall that eerie experience.  Standing on Broadway with the deafening sounds of that siren surrounding me, cars stopped in mid street, their drivers gazing into the sky and the looks of disbelief and sheer panic on the faces of those around me….  

To this day there hasn’t been a story reported or broadcast to acknowledge what happened that evening and I guess we’ll never know, just another mystery in that wonderfully strange and inexplicable city.

New York I still love you!