Pia Toscano Is Live On Good Day LA Right Now!

It was a beautiful clear, crisp September morning. At the time I was working at a law firm in Mineola. Since my work hours were 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. I was driving to work when I heard the news announced on the radio that the first tower had been hit – then the second. I arrived at work to find out that no one had yet heard the news…. I was the one to convey the news to everyone. All of the attorneys and staff then gathered around the two t.v.’s we had set up in the conference rooms for trials and deposition preparation to watch the video footage of smoke billowing from the two towers. There was total silence as we watched each of the towers collapse. After we watched, we were released from work early, not knowing if more was to come or if we would be reporting to work again the following day. As I drove home, I will never forget wondering if I might have said my final goodbyes that day to my co-workers. As I drove closer to home, there were army trucks and FYI agents everywhere blocking off various streets and redirecting traffic. I immediately called all of my family and friends who I knew worked in Manhattan. One of my very best friends was supposed to be there that day for a meeting, but at the last minute, decided not to go. Since I was released from work early that morning, I spent the rest of the day at the bike path along the Wantagh Parkway nears Jones Beach. I rode my bike to a point along the parkway to the center of one of the bridges where there were cars parked for miles. We all stood together – strangers, yet united by this tragic event. We all took photos from where we were standing. Visibly we could see the New York City skyline from this distance and watched as a never ending stream of smoke followed past the skyline which now was missing the two towers. It was an eerie feeling. I remember praying and thanking God for sparing me, but also praying for those that were not so lucky. I remember distinctly that you could smell the smoke from the burning towers since it was only about 25 miles directly across from where I was standing. It was months later before my cousin, George could even talk about what he witnessed. He, too, was one of the lucky ones who was spared that day but who had walked across the Brooklyn Bridge that day to escape the peril……