I recently found myself in
At
At
It was to prove
fortunate that the timing was during the day and not during the evening rush
hour.
The book department
was set well back from the road and it was very dark. A maze of shelves and
display tables, together with some dangerous steps to lower floor levels, lay
between where I was standing in the dark and the sunny street outside.
The mood on the
footpath, as people came to appreciate the enormity of what was happening, was
one of eerie silence. Stunned, frightened and puzzled faces.
In those first few
terrifying minutes, everyone thought it was
The traffic lights
at the nearby intersection of
Cars were stopped.
People were stopped in their tracks. Nothing like it had ever been seen before.
Car radios became
the focus of attention. Groups of strangers gathered into silent huddles at the kerbside,
straining to hear news reports from cars which had opened wide their windows
and doors for the benefit of all.
I was greatly
impressed by the spontaneous camaraderie of a city, not famous for its
goodwill. They say September 11 has united the citizens of
The horrible plight
of others was gradually being fully realized.
I pondered those
unfortunates who were jammed in the pitch dark of stifling railway carriages,
stuck in the filthy tunnels of
Others were stuck
in darkened elevators, back rooms and offices, sometimes a hundred floors above
the ground.
Gradually, over a
period of about thirty minutes, it was becoming apparent that terrorism was not
involved. There was a very noticeable change in the body language of those
around me. There was a feeling of enormous relief.
It was a very hot
day in
No matter how good
or bad the stations were, all of the tunnels were dark and filthy. I could not
take my thoughts away from what was happening in those hideous caverns below
us. Complete strangers, of all ages and backgrounds, found themselves jammed
together in pitch darkness. Such close proximity can be unpleasant even when
the lights are on.
As the realization
of their plight set in, railway staff and enterprising
citizens began working together in an effort to get out of their terrible
predicaments. People clambered down from trains and on to the tracks,
illuminated by cigarette lighters. Thank god for smokers. They felt their way,
in single file, through pitch dark tunnels. They followed beams of daylight,
often at filthy ledges, air vents or at subway station exits. Hot, dirty and
dishevelled, city dwellers who had been caught out as
they had never been caught out before, were emerging in the most unlikely
places. In the shrubberies of
I was fortunate to
have been in the immediate vicinity of my hotel when the lights went out. I was
staying in an 1850’s brownstone, typical of many which grace the un-crowded,
tree-lined streets, of
My thoughts were
with those on the already crowded pavements of downtown
Those who were
stranded far from their homes or hotels, could choose
to start walking, or stay put and wait until things improved.
The roads, which
were already jammed with traffic, became rivers of pedestrians. Thousands and thousands, walking in each direction, either to upper
or lower
As I was so close
to home, I decided to find somewhere to sit and take in the occasion.
I found a corner
restaurant and bar, open to the street on both sides. I took a seat on a
barstool and joined what was for many, a good reason to knock off work and have
a party.
We were all
strangers at the bar. There was no way in which friends or family could join
us. For many, I suppose, this occasion had great potential?
I was to have
joined friends for dinner and an opera performance but I was unable to contact
them. Besides, the performance would be cancelled anyway.
We were having a
wonderful time. The jovial barman gathered together a group of new found
friends. The conversation was lively.
The beer was
becoming impossibly warm and frothy and, of course, it would soon run out.
Behind where I was
sitting was a large display of fresh fish on a bed of ice. Behind this was a
huge tank of seemingly carefree fish.
Without my noticing
it, the ice display was cleared and later, as the carefree fish started to
behave in funny ways, the tank too was cleared of its inhabitants. The bars and
restaurants, like the traffic, were also coming to a grinding
halt.
As the cold drinks
were eventually exhausted and it became very dark, there was nothing else to do
but head for home.
When I arrived back
at
As night wore on,
people all over the city found it impossible to remain in their rooms.
Residents and hotel guests had no alternative but to gather on their steps or
footpaths. Those in big city hotels found themselves spending the night on the
pavement, often seated on incredibly uncomfortable upright chairs, from hotel
restaurants and ballrooms. These were often people who had vacated bedrooms,
perhaps a hundred floors above, and who had walked down endless flight of
stairs, usually in almost total darkness.
The enterprising
management of my hotel had placed candles on the staircases and I found my way
to the roof. There was a single, wonderful, plastic day bed and I grabbed it. I
was the only person on the roof terrace.
It was not long
before others joined me and many were over-awed by the splendour of the night
sky. Normally the stars are obliterated by the bright lights of the city.
My troubles were
only just beginning. I was to join a ship headed for
At first light I
found my travel documents and discovered that the ship was berthed at
I decided to set
out on foot, there was no alternative, in search of
the ship. Once I knew where it was, I would know how to find the shortest route
back with my ridiculously and unusually large amount of heavy baggage. I was
expecting freezing weather in
As it turned out,
it was an incredibly long walk to the ship. Why they call it
By the time I
arrived back and got myself organized, it was close to
There was no
problem. I made it. It was, however, a hot and arduous walk.
Other passengers,
many of whom had been stranded on the high floors of skyscrapers without lifts,
had had a much more difficult time than me. Many had spent the night on the
streets.
Others had been
stranded at east coast airports, in their homes, or who knows where.
The ship delayed
departure until 2am the following morning.
After having spent
the night on the roof of my hotel, after having experienced several very cold
candlelit showers, and after a terrible trek to the ship, I decided to turn in
early.
Next day I was to
be very disappointed.
Had I attempted to
remain awake until sailing, which I certainly should have, I could have
experienced a unique and unforgettable scene. Those who remained on deck saw
the darkened
Graham Elsom
Concorde Travel