Just prior to 9/11, I flew out to California to attend a Merrill Lynch investor conference in Los Angeles. In a somewhat unusual twist, Debbie accompanied me, which she hardly ever did. She was up early watching the news and woke me to see the horrific video of the attack on the Trade Center. I dressed quickly to go down and touch base with other attendees who were equally aghast. The first company scheduled to present canceled its meeting and the entire conference was canceled shortly thereafter.
We wanted to get home ASAP, as did everyone, but no one could fly out because all flights were grounded. People were scrambling to escape from LA anyway they could including renting cars to drive east, just head east to Chicago or New York. We also couldn’t contact Matt and Paul for some time because of communications difficulties, but eventually we managed to do so. Deb and I were stuck for several days, bored and anxious, in a gilded cage. Air Force fighters were audible and visible in the sky over the city.
Finally, we got a Jet Blue flight out of LA (not LAX but probably Ontario International airport) several days later arriving back in New York on a beautiful, crystal clear day to see smoke rising from the ruins of the Trade Center. When I arrived back at work in midtown the following Monday, smoke was still visible from the south facing windows of our offices, as it was for some time.
