From a global email message I sent out on Friday, September 14th, 2001.

Hi there,

As many of you know, and some of you probably don't, I've been working in Manhattan recently. I was at work about two blocks from the WTC when the problems on Tuesday began. Tom Burton (our CEO) was here with me. Now that we're safe and sound, I thought I'd take a little time to let everybody know that we're OK, and what's transpired over the last few days.

Other than saying it was absolutely surreal and I still can't really comprehend (or describe) what it was like seeing it from up close, there's not much to add to that statement. Both of us escaped personally unscathed with our "portable offices" on our back, but all luggage and other effects that we had in the Marriott (used to sit right between the two towers) is obviously gone. But we're completely safe, now living (temporarily) in a two bedroom condo in Momaroneck, just to the east of White Plains NY.

We heard the first plane fly over our building and then the explosion. We were on the 16th floor of a building just a block north of the north tower. While we were looking at the hole trying to figure out what had happened (didn't know it was a plane at that time, I thought perhaps a missile based on the weird sound the plane made), the second plane hit from the south (we didn't see the plane, we just say the hole it made coming towards us and the fireball. At that time, we were all told to get to the north side of the building but to stay inside because of falling debris. When the first one collapsed and proceeded to feel like a 7.5 earthquake, etc, they finally told us to get the heck out of the building and go north.

We stayed about a block ahead of the dust cloud from the buildings, and spent most of the next couple hours walking up to 42nd street (about 50 blocks) to meet friends we'd managed to contact very sporadically via cell-phone (what I would have paid for tennis shoes...) From there, the four of us headed further north to one of their friends house at 96th street (the upper west side). Since there was no transportation out of the city at all (other than foot traffic) we "hung out" at their apartment until later in the afternoon, and then took a train up to Ric and Laura Basanese's condo in Mamaroneck. We stayed with them on Tuesday night.

When the people at the front desk heard our situation, they offered us one of the empty, furnished apartments "as long as we need it" for a rate that we couldn't turn down (Ric and Laura love telling us that we moved to the east coast before they moved to the west coast...) Unbelievable that they'd make the offer, and that we'd be there to take advantage of it... This made dealing with the situation so much easier, and we definitely owe them big-time for removing one more thing we would have had to deal with.

At this point (Thursday afternoon), I'm not sure when we're going to get back home, how we're going to get home (Tom has to go all the way back to Santa Barbara), or even when, but we are safe and sound. We have some new clothes (yes, Mom, I have clean underwear) and other personal effects, and can work and live here as long as necessary to ensure safe travel to the west.

Take care, and thanks to all who were "with us" during this horrible experience. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers.

Sincerely,

Steve

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