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On this solemn day I just wanted to touch base with everyone on the board. Because of all of you this place has, over the last several years, become an important part of my daily routine. That was never so true as it was last year on this day. For reasons we all know well, the 2001 DS Fest will always be tied to the events of that tragic day. Those of us who attended had only been home a few short weeks when the two towers fell. Our memories were still very fresh making it much easier to imagine the devastation that occurred that day than if we had not attended the festival. I remember how quickly people on this board gathered here to express our common shock and tremendous sadness. I really appreciated the gigantic outreach that took place here that day and the days following. Looking back I know it helped many of us immensely in getting through those first few days of disbelief. My heart goes out to all of you who live and work in NYC, DC, and Pennsylvania and to any who may have lost friends loved ones as a result of this madness. God's PEACE to all.
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Dear CastleBee what a beautiful way fo expressing
one's feelings on this very Solemn Day .
Love Anne
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Very well said Castlebee. I think having the event take place so close to the festival time made me appreciate this years fest more. I think I took time to talk to people more and am glad I made some new friends and got to know old friends better.
My thoughts and prayers are with those who are have to deal with 9/11 on a daily basis.
Peace,
Teresa
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Thank you, Castlebee......it's a difficult day here. I feel like I'm holding my breath, waiting for my husband to arrive home safely from his office in Manhattan.
Blessings to all those who mourn family and friends, to those who have loved ones in the Armed Service of our country, and those who come to our aid and rescue every day, as Police, Fire, and Emergency workers.
Raineypark.
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Nicely said CastleBee. Everyone should embrace and enjoy the gift of life!
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While I don't live in New York, I too, have been waiting for each member of my family to return today. The Board has been a salve to my raw feelings today, and a break from the television news reports. Thank you, posters.
Afan
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Those of us who attended had only been home a few short weeks when the two towers fell.
It was really a shock. Even though I was safe at home when it happened, my family was still overwhelmed, knowing that I had just been there. I had been in New York, at the Marriott World Trade Center for a week, during the time of the Festival. I remember flying all night from Las Vegas, and arriving there dead tired at the hotel in the morning. All I wanted to do was get into my room and go to sleep, which is what I did. So glad it didn't happen then! I watched the memorial service today on tv, we also had one here at Las Vegas City Hall. My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the victims. I will light an extra candle tonight, I always light one for Craig Slocum.
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Thank you for that wonderful message on this day, Castlebee. It's been a very difficult day for me. I make frequent trips to NY, and live in PA. so being so close to these tragedies makes them very personal. I remember driving to NY for the first time after 9/11 and not seeing the towers. So heartbreaking. Then visiting the site as they were cleaning up was indescribable.
God Bless America, Misty
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Very well said Castle Bee and so true i didn't watch any of it today just took care of my children and went to work.Too sad!
jennifer
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It doesn't seem possible that a whole year has passed.
So much film footage from that day has been shown throughout the year, and the words, unthinkable... and unimaginable still dominate.
Some of us had only recently gotten our pictures back from the Fest when the disaster struck. When I look at the pictures now, all I can think of is the total carnage that occurred right there -- where we were innocently having a good time. The sadness and the horror of all the lost lives is still too fresh.
A bit of irony:
Since we weren't going to be able to attend the first day of the Fest, we decided to drive up the night before and get the badges and programs for Sat. and Sun. so we wouldn't have to mess with it later. When we were nearing the towers, my daughter brought up the 1993 bombing in the WTC parking garage. She'd seen a show on TV about it. (This was the first time my daughter had ever been to the World Trade Center... and obviously the last).
When I decided to just park the car in front of the North Tower and run into the Marriot quickly for the badges, she said something like, "Uh...nothing's gonna get bombed while you're gone is it?"
I gave her a weird look and said, "Don't be ridiculous."
I'm sure most of us will never regain the same sense of security (however false it may have been) we used to take for granted before Sept. 11 of last year.
love
CLC
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Thank you Castlebee for that lovely tribute message.
Being a New Yorker and living so close to the city, it really hits home. I'll never forget that day for as long as I live! The horror of it all is still so alive in my memory. I remember being so afraid to go out for days and telling my girls to stay close to home. Everytime I went out after that and passed some stranger on the street, you could just see the solemn sad look in their eyes. I just pray that this never happens again, anywhere in the U.S.!
I remember watching a Montel Williams show last January of 2001 and Sylvia Browne was guest. Montel had asked Sylvia for some predictions for the coming year and I remember her mentioning some kind of tragedy occuring in N.Y. City sometime later in the year. I remember Montel looking shocked and saying, "naa, nothing could happen in New York City," and then shyly asked if anything would happen to him since his studio is in N.Y. Sylvia then told him nothing would happen to him but the city will be devestated! But then she added, that out of this tragedy, something good will come about and things will begin to change for the better. As a last note she added, "this will be a wake up call for all Americans." I remember being alittle nervous because I live so close to the city, but then quickly forgot about it after that, until of course on 9-11.
My heart really goes out to all those who lost a loved one on that terrible day. And to those wonderful men on flight 93 who so bravely fought back, I salute you for you are truly hero's!!
As a closing note I will add that today's New York State Lottery number just happen to be 911. Now if that's not strange, I don't know what is.
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I wasn't going to post on this topic, couldn't think of anything to add. But your comment about the 911 lottery number is just unbelievable!!!
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When we were nearing the towers, my daughter brought up the 1993 bombing in the WTC parking garage. She'd seen a show on TV about it. (This was the first time my daughter had ever been to the World Trade Center... and obviously the last).
When I decided to just park the car in front of the North Tower and run into the Marriot quickly for the badges, she said something like, "Uh...nothing's gonna get bombed while you're gone is it?"
I gave her a weird look and said, "Don't be ridiculous."
That IS ironic Connie! My sister and I had a couple of similar experiences which seemed like nothing at the time. We took a Grayline tour (on one of those double decker buses) which picked us up right across the street from the hotel. The tour guide started talking about what had happened on that site in 1993 and my sister and I looked at each other with a kind of eeek expression on our faces. I remember saying to her something like well, they'll probably never try something like that in this exact spot again. Then at another point we were looking out the windows of our hotel room which faced the street and we noticed a small plane flying over the water which looked as though it were nearer the buildings than it probably was. My sister said wouldn't it be awful if a plane hit this building.
One thing I've noticed in all the coverage is they never say much at all about the hotel itself. I don't know what I'm expecting to hear really. It just seems as though it would be mentioned once in awhile. Hopefully that means most, if not all, of the employees and guests made it to safety. I remember reading something to that effect on the Internet a year ago but wasn't sure if it was entirely true at the time. I sure hope it was.
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The tour guide started talking about what had happened on that site in 1993 and my sister and I looked at each other with a kind of eeek expression on our faces. I remember saying to her something like well, they'll probably never try something like that in this exact spot again..... My sister said wouldn't it be awful if a plane hit this building.
Castlebee,
Makes you wonder if you were picking up something subconsciously, doesn't it? Did you find yourself having dreams after the disaster? I did - more than once. Weird dreams about being in the hotel during the aftermath and certain sections being partitioned off with curtains 'cause behind the curtains was rubble.
One thing I've noticed in all the coverage is they never say much at all about the hotel itself. I don't know what I'm expecting to hear really. It just seems as though it would be mentioned once in awhile.
Yes. It was very frustrating - wondering. Wondering about some of the people we remembered who worked there. I kept hearing conflicting reports. Below is an excerpt from a Daily News Article about the Marriott's last minutes:
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The 843-room hotel was battered by the collapse of the north tower, then crushed to rubble under the cascading 110-story mass of the south tower.
Two employees and 20 of the 940 registered guests are missing.
Only parts of the Marriott's final hours can be pieced together.
'Like a Movie Set'
Andrew Ward, a reporter for Bloomberg who was staying in a 17th-floor room, heard the first explosion about 8:47 a.m.
One look at Tower 1, barely 100 yards away, told him he needed to run.
"It looked like a movie set, a giant hole where some floors used to be," he wrote.
He left without wallet, keys, computer, luggage or shoes. He banged on doors, telling other guests to ignore the emergency warning system, which "kept telling us to stay in our rooms."
Moments after 2 World Trade Center was hit by jet, the Marriott (foreground) was evacuated.
On the ninth floor, bond analyst Michael Yager, 30, of Carmichael, Calif., also heard the explosion. He looked out and saw "stuff falling, cars swerving down below," he told the Sacramento Bee.
Amy Loe, 23, of New Jersey, was working the front desk when the first plane hit. Suddenly, a human wave flowed in from the stricken building.
"Call an ambulance," a bellman shouted.
Fire Crew Dispatched
Shortly after the second attack, when a United Airlines plane hit the south tower, someone banged on Yager's door, shouting at him to evacuate.
In the lobby, a fire chief sent a crew to the top floor to check a report that bodies had fallen through the roof.
Then, a firefighter appeared from the north tower shouting at everyone to run, that the south tower had collapsed.
Debris from the crumbling tower hit the hotel, causing a partial collapse.
"We were covered in rubble," Loe said. "Everything was totally in black darkness. Some of the firemen and I, the pressure blew us across the lobby. I ran two steps and then 'Vrooom!' I was blown. I don't know how I got out in one piece."
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-CLC
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Dear Fellow Dark Shadows Fans (and especially CastleBee),
Amen to everything that you've expressed, very moving and heartfelt words indeed. Thank you.
One of my high school classmates' mother was on Flight 93, out of Newark Airport bound for California, with another lady on 9/11. As I watched President Bush and Mrs. Bush extend sympathies to the family members of the passengers of Flight 93 on that Pennsylvania field, I tried to see if I could spot Tom and his brothers in the crowd. Man, did that scene bring all of the profound sense of tragedy back to me one year later.
Along with Raineypark, Cassandra and the rest of the New York area Dark Shadows fans, we will never forget all of the good and decent people whose lives were so cruelly taken on that awful day.
You know, I know this sounds trite, but I was always so used to seeing the twin towers of the World Trade Center every day. The New York skyline, with the twin towers dominating lower Manhattan, was so beautiful to see from across the Hudson River as the sun rose on a bright, summer morning, or, on clear, cold winter night, with the lights of Manhattan shimmering from across the water. And, now, if you hadn't lived here for any length of time, you'd never know that they had ever been there.
Sincerely,
Bob the Bartender
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Makes you wonder if you were picking up something subconsciously, doesn't it?
Yes it really does make you wonder!
Did you find yourself having dreams after the disaster? I did - more than once. Weird dreams about being in the hotel during the aftermath and certain sections being partitioned off with curtains 'cause behind the curtains was rubble.
As you can see, my sister tends to get more accurate vibes than I do - at least while awake. I tend to dream things. During our entire stay at the fest I didn't have one single night that wasn't filled with very fitfull sleep and strange dreams. I blame that at least partly on my own physical health at the time which I didn't realize was pretty bad. Then, after the attacks, like you, I kept having dreams of being in the hotel. Once I was trapped behind some fallen beams in the beauty shop that wasn't far from the ballroom where the fest was held. It was so real. I didn't watch a huge amount of the coverage yesterday but did manage to catch part of the video made by the two brothers from France. That brought back the wild dreams again last night. In this one I kept trying to keep track of a video camera and keep dust off the lense. Weird.
Thanks for posting that on the hotel Connie and thanks to everyone for posting.
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Probably like everyone here who'd been to WTC, the sense of loss to me was very personal. The fact that I'd spent time there and really enjoyed it made it a lot more than a tragic event that happened "somewhere else." I think about the places around there that Peg and I ate and shopped that are no longer there. I remember the hotel and Tall Ships, the bar/grill there, and the restaurant on the 101st floor (where I drank the most expensive gin and tonics I've ever had) with more clarity than just about anywhere else I've ever spent time. I think knowing the layout and the details of the buildings makes it easy to visualize what the people there were seeing and what it felt like; I often think about -- had it happened while I was there -- what I would have done, where I would have gone. Would I have simply hauled out of there in the grip of fear, or would I have kept my wits and tried to help others? More than anything I think about my wife, who suffers from fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis and isn't very mobile even at the best of times. She could not have evacuated any place very quickly. All my contemplation tells me that the first and only thing I would have done was to try to get her to safety, no matter what happened.
--Mark
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I had occasion to visit New York a few short weeks after the horrific events of September 11. A friend of mine who works in the news division of one of the networks took me down there on a Sunday afternoon.
As expected, the streets surrounding the tragic site were filled with people who came to pay their respects, and, in many cases, to try to understand it all.
My friend got us beyond the fences and police barriers and we watched as city crews and volunteers helped clear away the rubble.
Of course, we all saw the images on television, but I didn't realize just how deeply it would affect me--being on the site of this country's greatest tragedy of modern times. All I could think of is the terror those people on the planes and inside the World Trade Center must have been feelings and I prayed for their souls.
When we left, I was uncharacteristically quiet for a long time; finally my friend asked if I was okay. I told him that I was just stunned by it all, and by the fact that this could happen to our citizenry on our very shores.
A year later, it is still unfathomable that this could actually occur. As times passes--even more than for the victims of that fateful day--my heart goes out to those family and friends left behind in the wake of this senseless attack.
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The 843-room hotel was battered by the collapse of the north tower, then crushed to rubble under the cascading 110-story mass of the south tower.
Two employees and 20 of the 940 registered guests are missing.
Only parts of the Marriott's final hours can be pieced together.
'Like a Movie Set'
Andrew Ward, a reporter for Bloomberg who was staying in a 17th-floor room, heard the first explosion about 8:47 a.m.
One look at Tower 1, barely 100 yards away, told him he needed to run.
"It looked like a movie set, a giant hole where some floors used to be," he wrote.
He left without wallet, keys, computer, luggage or shoes. He banged on doors, telling other guests to ignore the emergency warning system, which "kept telling us to stay in our rooms."
That is quite interesting... My room for the DS Festival was on the 17th floor-Room #1709. I still have the key jacket, which depicts the Marriott Hotel shadowed by the Twin Towers- no doubt a collector's item.
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My room for the DS Festival was on the 17th floor
Mine was on the 14th floor, also stayed on the top floor with a friend. I think there were 22 floors. When I was flying to New York for the Dark Shadows Festival, I had one of those thoughts like, what if there is a bombing? I just dismissed it. I always figured it would happen again, just not when it did, and not as severe. Everybody was caught off guard. Everything was so peaceful when we were there for the Festival.
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Mine was on the 14th floor, also stayed on the top floor with a friend. I think there were 22 floors. When I was flying to New York for the Dark Shadows Festival, I had one of those thoughts like, what if there is a bombing? I just dismissed it. I always figured it would happen again, just not when it did, and not as severe. Everybody was caught off guard. Everything was so peaceful when we were there for the Festival.
I believe we were on the 18th floor. Looking at the hotel's west face, it was the first room to the left of where the building angled slightly, which put the corner of the north tower in view of our window when we looked to the right.
You know, when Peg and I took the elevator up to the 101st floor of the north tower, when it got around the 80th floor, it began unmercifully shaking and shimmying, so much so that we were downright nervous. At the restaurant upstairs, we mentioned it to someone on the staff, and they told us that it was because the rails were slightly misaligned from the 1993 explosion. Whether this was true or they were just bullshitting us to give us a thrill, I dunno, but it sounded plausible at the time. Still does. Regardless, I was not particularly comfortable being so roughly shaken 80 floors above the ground.
I can't imagine how horrifying it must have been for people trapped in those elevators. I think I might've just croaked on the spot.
[shadow=navy,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]
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I vividly remember the spiral stairway in the Marriott Hotel that lead from the Lobby to the Mezzanine. Probably because I used it several times on Saturday night in conjunction with the Costume Gala.
The other area of the Hotel, (besides Festival areas) that I recall is the Fitness Center on the 21st Floor. Early (about 5:30 AM) every morning, I would use the treadmill, which faced widows looking out over the water. You could see the Statue of Liberty in the distance - a beautiful way to start out the day.
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Like many have said, it all seems like it happened just yesterday, yet at the same time, so long ago. Interesting bits of irony some have been mentioned.
Around, 7:25 in the morning, on Sept. 11th, my dad was taking my friend and I to school, like usual and I remember so well my dad saying, "Such a pretty blue sky today." And you could see two airplane trails in the sky, which he said looked so nice against the rising sun. I agreed, never guessing what was to happen that day.
I had never heard much about the WTC Towers until that day. I didn't even know about them being attacked until over an hour later because we were watching a video in Biology about bacteria and we never knew. I remember walking into our Choir room and seeing the t.v. on, with everyone gathered around it, and I knew something serious was happening because we ALWAYS practice in Choir. From then on, everything changed. Teachers were crying, students dazed, and in all our classes we were glued to the t.v.'s.
The ceremony yesterday was beautiful(I got to watch it in Study Hall). The terrorists tried to tear our country apart, but instead they brought us together.
-Lindsey
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I only have a moment to post, but I was thinking of you, Castlebee, and everyone else I met at the Festival in New York in 2001, over the past few days.
My heart felt so heavy all day yesterday, I couldn't even bring myself to do something so "frivolous" as watch DS or check the message board ... until late at night, I finally had to take my mind off the events of 9-11 and capitulated to watching the day's DS eps.
I remember Ben remarking to me about the security levels at the Marriott. I didn't think much about it as they had the same type of security where I had been working for the previous couple of years ...
I remember the wonderful, friendly staff at the Marriott and the security guards at the two towers ...
Can't believe it's really gone, and some of the people we saw are probably dead.
Now that the first anniversary is over, it seems like a milestone, and we know that time heals.
-Vlad
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I'm thought i read that all the Marriott staff and quests were later accounted for but could be wrong.
jennifer
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You know, when Peg and I took the elevator up to the 101st floor of the north tower, when it got around the 80th floor, it began unmercifully shaking and shimmying, so much so that we were downright nervous. At the restaurant upstairs, we mentioned it to someone on the staff, and they told us that it was because the rails were slightly misaligned from the 1993 explosion. Whether this was true or they were just bullshitting us to give us a thrill, I dunno, but it sounded plausible at the time. Still does. Regardless, I was not particularly comfortable being so roughly shaken 80 floors above the ground
Right after the tragedy they had a news show on featuring some of the architectures and building crew who helped both build & design the Twin Towers. According to these men they said that once you got past the 80th floor it was a normal occurance for the building to sway slightly from side to side, especially during heavy winds and the higher up you were, the more you felt it.
And if enough hasn't happened here already, yesterday (9-11) a man was killed by falling debris near 58th St. that was caused by very strong winds that we haven't experienced here in a long time. A tree around the corner from my house was lying across the whole road on account of the wind. The whole day was nothing but wind. Then today was as calm as they come.
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When I was back in college, I worked summers at the WTC for the Port Authority of NY and NJ, the agency that runs the airports, tunnels and most of the bridges in the NY/NJ area. I remember looking down onto Church Street from the eigthieth floor of the north tower (the pedestrians looking like ants far below). What a view!
I thought that if a really bad fire occurred in the buildings, it would probably resemble a scene from Irwin Allen's disaster film, "The Towering Inferno." Who would have ever thought that terrorists would crash two hijacked jetliners into the towers? (Well, maybe Tom Clancy envisioned a similar scenario.)
I worked in the Merrill Lynch building, on Church Street directly across the street from the WTC, for five years. You could run into the Brooks Brothers store on the first floor of the building to do some last minute Christmas shopping. Down on Church Street, across from Trinity Church, is the Stapleton Shoe Company, a great men's shoe store that has been there for years.
I was fortunate to meet many out-of-town Dark Shadows fans at the 1999 festival at the WTC. When they asked what to see in downtown Manhattan, I recommended that they check out the great J & R Music World, arguably the finest record store/stereo equipment dealer, over on Park Row across from city hall. You could also spend a great deal of time at the Strand Book Store on Fulton Street as you made your way over to the old Fulton Fish Market, enroute to all of the shops and restaurants at the South Street Seaport over on the east side of the financial district. There were a number of terrific Friday night rock concerts at the seaport, where thousands of financial workers would unwind and get loaded at the end of the work week.
As I watched the twin towers collapse from across the Hudson River on 9/11, I heard a reporter on WINS radio announce that the Merrill Lynch building might topple down after the WTC across the street. (Thankfully, the building, like the Millennium Hotel next door, was spared.) I later learned from a friend on the police force, that the firemen had used the Brooks Brothers store as a makeshift morgue that day.
As a college student and, later, as an adult in the so-called "real world," I always enjoyed the financial district. People may not know, that with so many corporations and law firms downtown, there are literally hundreds of computer professionals and attorneys working round the clock. (One of my friends at a large firm on Water Street, used to joke about the undersized "sleeping rooms" that were maintained to allow harried attorneys to get some much-needed sleep during some hectic and prolonged litigation.)
I particularly enjoyed stolling through Battery Park with my "significant other," on a quiet Sunday afternoon in the city, before an early evening dinner at the seaport. Yet, today, I don't believe that I could ever enjoy frequenting some of those wonderful downtown locations again. It would seem almost sacrilegious to enjoy oneself, knowing what transpired on 9/11, a very sad and tragic day in our nation's history.
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a man was killed by falling debris near 58th St. that was caused by very strong winds that we haven't experienced here in a long time.
How terrible! We get high winds here too. I remember not long after I moved to Las Vegas, someone got killed when the wind blew down a sign from The Hilton. At the hotel, they were replacing the sign, reconstructing it or whatever, and they had this sign just hanging there for several months. It finally came down and killed somebody. I myself even walked underneath it when I was pregnant!
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I remember the wonderful, friendly staff at the Marriott and the security guards at the two towers ...
To give you an idea of how extraordinary the Marriott Staff was just listen to something they did for me. The Festival was being held on the weekend prior to my birthday. During a conversation with a member of the Loss Prevention Depatment who was fixing the safe in my room, I jokingly mentioned that Monday was that special day and I should stay longer to celebrate. When I returned to my room after breakfest the morning of my B-day and day of departure, a huge gift basket was sitting on the table with a card. I will never forget the kindness...
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To give you an idea of how extraordinary the Marriott Staff was just listen to something they did for me. The Festival was being held on the weekend prior to my birthday. During a conversation with a member of the Loss Prevention Depatment who was fixing the safe in my room, I jokingly mentioned that Monday was that special day and I should stay longer to celebrate. When I returned to my room after breakfest the morning of my B-day and day of departure, a huge gift basket was sitting on the table with a card. I will never forget the kindness...
That is quite a nice deal. I had very pleasant experiences with the hotel staff as well; in general, they seemed quite the opposite of then-stereotypical cranky New Yorkers (which I sometimes ran into on previous trips there).
Almost ironically, on the last day of the '99 fest, we had already checked out of our room, but I still had some functions left to attend; I asked the bell captain if I could leave my bag with them for several hours, and he replied that they'd hold it for me as long as I wanted. I was certainly gratified, but my first thought was, if I wanted to blow something up, what a perfectly easy and innocuous way to plant a bomb on the premises. Certainly incapable of doing such severe damage as even the car bomb in '93, but if--at the time--I were asked to predict another disaster at WTC, I would've certainly said something along that line as opposed to what really happened.
[shadow=black,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]
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Before I started my journey home from the 2001 Festival and the Marriott WTC, I decided to go outside and sit in the Courtyard for a short time. It was just a nice way to relax, catch some sunshine, and recall the events of the weekend. However, I seemed to still be aware of much happiness transcending that day from the smile on faces of those going about their business to the laughter of teens taking animated photos in front of the Twin Towers. No one could of guessed what sadness was to come...
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I'm thought i read that all the Marriott staff and quests were later accounted for but could be wrong.
Jennifer, I think that was the information that was given out at first. However, it proved to be inaccurate. I don't remember exact figures, but I know that more than one Marriott staff member was killed and several guests who remained in their rooms.
Watching some of the coverage on CNN on Wednesday, I noticed on the crawl at the bottom of the screen of the names who died, one was a Marriott staff member, general manager of something, but I didn't catch the full information.
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On Sunday morning during fest weekend, I met some good friends in the courtyard. We got doughnuts and coffee from Krispy Kreme, sat down and talked.
I recall looking up at the Twin Towers for a few moments, admiring how beautiful they were. It was a warm day, but I got a terrible chill all of a sudden, and wondered what the hell was wrong with me.
Of course, when terrorists committed mass murder there three weeks later, I wondered if I'd had a premonition of what was to come.
I look at the ghost-laden crater that now stands where the World Trade Center stood and realize that I took six rides into and out of that subway tunnel (I'd decided not to take a room at the Marriott in order to save money). There is no more Cortlandt stop, and won't be for a long time to come, if ever.
I attended two memorial services on 9/11, one at the postal facility where I work, the other in a local park near home. I cried during both. What happened to America that day will never heal, not completely, because we have lost our innocence, the belief that we are invulnerable, and the violence happening in other places could never happen here.
It did.
And since I live on Long Island, it was very close to home, too close for comfort. And since I was at the WTC myself only three weeks previously, I ponder how timing is everything.
I pray for the dead, and for the living who mourn them.
Love, Robin
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Here's an article that appeared in the NY Times last week. It's a difficult read, but it reveals what's known about the losses suffered inside the Marriott Hotel. The photo is also devastating, so be prepared if you decide to visit the link. You may be asked to register for the site first.
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/11/nyregion/11HOTE.html
Some of you probably got the idea that no employees or guests were lost on 9/11 from reading the ShadowGram announcement posted last year, but I'm sorry, what was said in it doesn't jibe with any other report I've read on this subject.
Dearest Bob the Bartender, in the 4 years I've been moderating this forum, your account was the first post that made me cry, but I don't mean that in a bad way!-- it's the wonderfully honest way you revealed your feelings that I found to be so touching. Speaking of this, of all the posts lost when VNet (our former host) deleted our boards without warning, I'd give anything to get back the one topic started on 9/11 which Gerard began by saying he was grateful his friends were safely back home, and by doing so he offered the rest of us, numb with shock, an opportunity to begin speaking about it. And being able to share my feelings with the rest of you helped me so much in coping with the horror of that day. I don't suppose anyone else saved all or part of that thread?
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Thanks Midnite for posting the link to the NY Times article. Until I read that I had not realized the extent of devastation to the Marriot--I had just heard that the hotel had been evacuated and I did not know that there had been any loss of life there. It's incredible to think that only 3 weeks earlier so many fans and stars of Dark Shadows had been in that very place. :'(
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Here's an article that appeared in the NY Times last week. It's a difficult read, but it reveals what's known about the losses suffered inside the Marriott Hotel.
This article is just devastating. Like many others, until recently, I had always assumed there had been ample time for everyone at the Marriott to get out safely. Obviously not the case. It's easy to understand how the Tall Ships bar was the only escape route.
We had dinner there on Sat. night. Everyone was so nice. We had a good time. It's really true - ALL the Marriott employees we came into contact with were just lovely, lovely people.
Not long ago I was searching through my wallet for something and came across this. I can't find the words to express how I felt. All I can say is, I had to run to the bathroom.
(http://www.dsboards.com/Connie/receipt.jpg)
Midnite is right. Be forewarned before you read the article - particularly if you attended the Fest.
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DS Festival Chairman Jim Pierson checked out of the Marriott Vista on Monday night, September 10th after spending time there planning for the next New York festival.
Nancy
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DS Festival Chairman Jim Pierson checked out of the Marriott Vista on Monday night, September 10th after spending time there planning for the next New York festival.
Nancy
He was at the one on Times Square and not at the Mariott WTC. Correct?
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No. He was at the WTC Marriott "Vista" (as it was known to the festival crowd) the night before the disaster. The midtown Manhattan Marriott is called the Marquis and no, he was not there.
Nancy
He was at the one on Times Square and not at the Mariott WTC. Correct?
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It wasn't until I saw Connie's receipt that I remembered my daughter saved the ticket stub from our 5/30/97 class trip to the WTC. We went up to the Observation Deck and took the simulated helicopter ride.
The ticket's time is 9:39am
(http://www.dsboards.com/images/tickstub.jpg)
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We've got several receipts from WTC (which I'd kept to write off the trip), matchbooks from Tall Ships and Windows on the World, ballpoint pens with the Marriott WTC logo on them.... just a bunch of little, ordinary things that have taken on a whole new, grim significance. Needless to say, those things are now keepsakes, not to be tossed.
[shadow=brown,left,300]--Mark[/shadow]
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We've got several receipts from WTC (which I'd kept to write off the trip), matchbooks from Tall Ships and Windows on the World, ballpoint pens with the Marriott WTC logo on them.... just a bunch of little, ordinary things that have taken on a whole new, grim significance. Needless to say, those things are now keepsakes, not to be tossed.
We put the ticket stub on an American flag background and have it in a small black frame for everyone to see.
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We've got several receipts from WTC (which I'd kept to write off the trip), matchbooks from Tall Ships and Windows on the World, ballpoint pens with the Marriott WTC logo on them.... just a bunch of little, ordinary things that have taken on a whole new, grim significance. Needless to say, those things are now keepsakes, not to be tossed.
Since the WTC is so close to where I live we use to frequent there alot. Last August my sister in law, her family & I were on one of those visits. While there, we bought alot of souvenirs to take home from the WTC. Well as a last stop we decided to go to Little Italy and get something to eat. Wouldn't you just know it, some idiot broke into my Sister in law's car trunk and stole everything! Knick Knacks & all! Needless to say we never even noticed until we hit home here in Yonkers and it was time to get our things out of the trunk.
At the time we were just glad that her car was in one piece, but looking back now, it just seems so sad that these little items would have been a little momento for us to keep now. I bet the jerk who stole them couldn't even care less!
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Thanks so much, Midnite, for posting this link to the NYT arrticle about the Marriott. Though it did make me sad to read I have been searching all year for some info on the Marriott and just how it was impacted. I had seen one TV special that mentioned that the rescue workers were using the lobby as a staging area, but no other information, other than that at least 20 people and 2 employees had died. I remember the Tall Ships Restaurant so well, especially Saturday night in the lobby, just outside the restaurant where many of us on this Board spent a wonderful evening (and you have the pictures to prove it). This article answered all the questions that I had about a place which will forever remain in my memory and my heart.
I also have a matchbook from the Tall Ships and if I search my pen collection I can probably find at least one Marriott pen.
Bette
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I have luggage stubs, the plastic keys and the jacket given to me at check-in. The key jacket has a picure of the Marriott Hotel shadowed by the Twin Towers. Also, I have the Marriott card that was signed with a birthday greeting to me from the Hotel.
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This article is just devastating. Like many others, until recently, I had always assumed there had been ample time for everyone at the Marriott to get out safely. Obviously not the case. It's easy to understand how the Tall Ships bar was the only escape route.
I am anxious to read this article, but at the moment don't have time to go through the registration process -- complicated by the fact that I know I've registered with the NYTimes at least twice before, but have no idea now what my password and/or other information might have been. I really, really hate that system!
Not long ago I was searching through my wallet for something and came across this. I can't find the words to express how I felt. All I can say is, I had to run to the bathroom.
I still have my room key for the WTC Marriott. I had locked myself out on my last day there, Monday after the festival, and had to get a new key.
The Marriott employee told me I could keep the original key (which I found in my room) as a souvenir.
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I am anxious to read this article, but at the moment don't have time to go through the registration process -- complicated by the fact that I know I've registered with the NYTimes at least twice before, but have no idea now what my password and/or other information might have been. I really, really hate that system!
I just sent it to you, Vam.
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On Sunday morning during fest weekend, I met some good friends in the courtyard. We got doughnuts and coffee from Krispy Kreme, sat down and talked ... I recall looking up at the Twin Towers for a few moments, admiring how beautiful they were
Robin, I remember that Sunday morning with you and the rest of our group. John in SC took some neat photos of us and dramatic views of the towers.
Until the 2001 Fest, my only encounters with the WTC had been fast and fleeting. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I never imagined that I could actually stay at a hotel, attend something as carefree as a Fest, AND find an oasis of sorts -- of all places, in Manhattan!
I never imagined that Sunday morning in the courtyard, with the two mighty towers guarding those of us strolling in between, could be such an escape from my daily grind in a smaller city. Tranquil New York? No way!
I also recall, now naively, being impressed with the security procedures in the WTC tower lobbies. Everyone entering -- employees and visitors alike -- had to show some kind of ID to get through the security turnstyles. I remember thinking how elaborate, necessary, and effective that had to be.
Like VAM, I remember quickly establishing a morning routine at the 27th floor fitness center, easily the nicest and largest one in any hotel I have seen. The river view as I pedaled on my Life Cycle was spectacular. In the days immediately after the tragedy, I recall seeing footage of debris consisting an entire interior wall behind a glass case housing wall clocks that displayed the times around the world -- nearly intact! This appears to be the wall at the entrance to the fitness center, which must have "surfed" some 20+ stories down from the 27th floor.
I wish I could remember more of the posts from that thread at this time last year, but I do recall remarking that the kind and supportive outpouring transformed our members from a group of fans into a family.
Ben
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I just sent it to you, Vam.
Carol,
That was SO thoughtful of you. I hope I didn't sound too whiny in my post.
I'm always short of time in the computer lab and can't get everything done I'd like too in the short time I have to be here.
I'll print out the article to read at home.
Again, thanks for taking the time and effort of doing this.
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The NYPost printed this today on a firefighter who saved lives at the Marriott Hotel.
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57809.htm
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thanks for the link. I stayed at the Marriott during the 2001 festival also, but had only read and heard about the twin towers - nothing about the hotel after 9/11
The NYPost printed this today on a firefighter who saved lives at the Marriott Hotel.
http://www.nypost.com/news/regionalnews/57809.htm
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ms_hoffman,
Hi! I've been editing your posts to separate your message from the quote info that comes after it, but I haven't modified the one above so you could see how your words and the quote have been running together... and I'm guessing you're probably not even aware of it. But if you could hit the Enter key after you finish typing your message, it would be much appreciated.
Or, to get rid of the quotes completely, there's a Reply button at the bottom of each page you could use instead of clicking Quote that will open a blank response window. This way, you wouldn't have to bother with separating your message from the quote. You may already know that, so sorry if it was unnecessary. Thanks, dear! :)
And if you or any other cousin has questions about navigating the board, please don't hesitate to ask. I know that some users are new to computers or maybe have vision problems and I'm willing to assist anyone that needs help using the boards.
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Jennifer, I think that was the information that was given out at first. However, it proved to be inaccurate. I don't remember exact figures, but I know that more than one Marriott staff member was killed and several guests who remained in their rooms.
Watching some of the coverage on CNN on Wednesday, I noticed on the crawl at the bottom of the screen of the names who died, one was a Marriott staff member, general manager of something, but I didn't catch the full information.
Vlad so sorry just saw this today
so sad i quess i wanted to think they all got out!
jennifer