10 years ago today... 9/11

I was just waking up around noonish. The night before, I'd been in the studio in Conshohocken with Dre & Vi and Glenn Lewis listening to new joints of "World Outside my Window". It was an eerily calm starry night. The conversations went from the smallest things to extreme conspiracy theories. I remember me pointing out what appeared to be a UFO to Glenn as we stared at the sky around 5AM September 11th. Still open off the possibilities of convos and what we thought our eyes had seen, we all headed back to the city in 2 separate vehicles. It's so dark on 76 but it was extra dark that night especially leaving from Conshohocken. Something lit up the sky, I'm not sure if it was a single firework or a meteor or a UFO. I had no idea what it was! But we all saw it! It was so blatantly unexplained we all just nodded in agreement that we saw something. Getting closer to center city it got a little lighter outside.

I'd just moved into my new apartment on Front & Arch. I didn't have a house phone or a TV yet. Just a futon and a bed. I was also buying a cell phone that day. Around 1pm, figured I'd go by the studio and see what was going on. For 1pm on a Tuesday, Philly was awfully quite. Not a single car on the road that I recall. No people. Huh??? The studio was on 3rd & Callowhill, across the street was my managers office and there's a federal building on the other block. No cars. No people. Did I die in a car crash the night before and is this all some kind of weird ghost town??? I didn't know what the heck is going on, I just knew that it was weird.

No one is in the studio. I head over to my manager's office and just by chance, J Erving III (my manager) is coming down the elevator. I'm like what the heck is going on. He's looking at me all crazy like "You don't know? Someone crashed into the twin towers this morning!" Now my first reaction, I'm perplexed. I can't even put together in my mind what he just said. What the heck does that mean??? He tries to explain. "Two planes flew INTO the towers this morning, intentionally, and they came crumbling down!" My 2nd reaction, it's World War 3!!! OMG!!! I've got to call home, no one knows where I am, I was supposed to be in NY this morning but studio ran late and I didn't go. The one way my fam had been communicating with me was on the studio phone till I got my cell phone!!! OMG!!! My family is PANICKING right now!!! OMG!!! I know the other producers from A Touch of Jazz were flying this morning!!! OMG!!!

I run over to the studio, turn on the TV!!! OH SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The phones lines were busy, couldn't get ANYONE on the phone! Finally get through to my mother to let her know I'm in Philly and I'm okay asking to please tell the rest of the family I'm okay. Finally got a hold of my aunt who worked at Merrill Lynch at the time right next to the towers. She just got back to Brooklyn on foot, she was crying, had no idea whether everyone she knew had made it out of the area alive. I felt sick. I got through to the producers who said their planes took emergency nose dives to the nearest airports that morning. They had no idea what was going on till grounded, said the pilot said buckle your seat-belts, we're making an emergency landing. They also said they had no idea planes could fly like that, it was terrifying.

I took the TV out of the studio, put it in the back of the truck and back to my apartment. Watched. Waited.

The Day The Earth Stood Still.

I'll never forget that day...