For me, 9/11 will always have a deeper meaning than it would have had, if not for Dark Shadows. For the only times I had ever been to the Towers was because of the festivals. I always tell people, and most are unaware, that the Marriott was Tower # 3. I most especially remember in 2001, as we drove Diane's silver Honda right up to the door and unloaded. I remember walking straight out of the Marriott and into the Trade Center Mall. I still have two shirts I bought there, one was for the fest dinner that year. We took the subway into Times Square right from there, just took the escalators down. Conrad Brook shot some footage for one of his "no budget" films in the lobby, and Diane and I were extras. I have a funny memory of Roger Davis speaking from the stage that year, advising us of a great nearby store to get a great suit at bargain prices. The two things I will always remember most, tho, are first, eating breakfast in the Marriott restaurant, which had big windows that opened in the WTC courtyards. I can still see John Karlen sipping coffee two tables away, by himself. Another table seated Ben Martin, another Stuart Manning and his friends, and many more tables of fans with their badges pinned on, eagerly awaiting the day's events to start. From the table, the Towers stretched to the sky, like two opens arms reaching for heaven. My other memory is on Sunday night, after the banquet. First, we made many photos by that fountain and stairs in the lobby. After that, Diane, myself and a friend from Indiana decided to go into the Tower, # 2 I think, and go up to the observation deck. When we reached the end of the velvet ropes, the attendant told us, "Sorry. We've just closed for the night." We looked at each other and said, "Well, we'll be back next year or the year after that." And that opportunity never came...
    We went to Ground Zero while attending the 2003 fest.For some reason, I had taken a photo from our room's window of the buildings across the street, and I used it to orient myself at Ground Zero, to try to place where the Marriott was. I looked at that gaping hole and wondered on which level the car had been parked. I often have wondered what I might have grabbed, had it been "that day" and we were at the Marriott. I don't want to talk politics, that will divide us. But, I think that in some small way, we Dark Shadows attendees of festival 2001 are lucky. Together we shared something very special, in a very special place. But also, because we were there, we may have just a little more understanding of the loss, than many who never saw them up close, two silver arms, that reached toward heaven. And a hotel, almost forgotten.
Michael Â
