@Marc-Austin Rowe You're missing the point, I'm showing you how unlikely it is that most of the people in the video died considering it was only a fraction of the people that worked there.
I was there in August 2001 when I was 12 years old. My parents decided that we wouldn't go to the top because there was an hourlong wait, and my younger brother started having a tantrum. When I expressed how disappointed I was, my dad said that we would come back next time, because "it will still be there."
I was there in 1993 just 6 months after the first terrorist attack. I wanted to go to the top and, for the same reason as your parents, but also out of fear, my partner didn't want to wait. I loved NYC and thought I would have to do it another time. Came back for work in 1998 and couldn't find a free moment to go there. So I never went up to the observatory, and I understand your feeling. Had we been to the top, I think the pain would be even bigger.
I was there September 11, 2001 and went to the top of The North Tower to Windows on the World and had breakfast but got sick on the prune danish so I took the express elevator to the ground floor and and as soon as I stepped out of the elevator the plane hit. Thank god I got sick on that prune danish.
Those towers became such an ominous sight after 9/11. Whether you're seeing them in old movies, or in videos and photos of the NYC skyline, your mind immediately goes to the attacks. Two massive, looming towers, gazing out over the city. They're so geometric and faceless, they've always looked almost like headstones to me. They were the sight of so much needless destruction and suffering, it's difficult to fully imagine. RIP to all of those who died there.
No offence, but at least they saw beautiful New York before they fell but it would be really smokey and terrifying so it would be a terrible way to go...😔
I still think it’s always amazing to see people just walking and lining up pre 9-11 days. No cell phones, so nobody is looking down. Everyone is looking up and at each other. Crazy how our simple mannerisms are so changed today
@I I Those cellphones were nothing like today- You could basically just call- Maybe a little Tetris; but no videos or apps, and the cameras were non existent or basically a banana. It's a real shame to see how disconnected we've become in real life. Taking a look back at this video always makes me yearn for more of that undiluted human connection.
The fact that there's no talking, no pausing.. or anything. Really makes this video one of the best, it's just classic new york in its finest, no sugarcoating, no nostalgic things.. just.. New york.
A whole new respect for Firefighters. I couldn’t imagine looking up at that colosal structure and everyone is looking at them for help. Rip to those 343 ❤️
thirteen3 Each floor was an acre (why do we in the US still use the British spelling of 'acre? Here, it should be 'acer'. That's now a computer company copyright).
That was my first thought too. Then I remembered that the destruction of this was no accident, no miscalculation, no oversight. It was a deliberate evil.
It would be so cool if they made a movie about the WTC in the style they did Titanic.... except not really cheesy. And add fucking Jack and Rose to the cast and let Jack escape.
My wife and I visited the towers in the early 90's. Going up to the observation area, the route was controlled by security, but once you were there, no-one managed your return to the ground floor. Coming down in the lifts, we randomly stopped off at several floors. When the lift doors open you could see people working. After 9/11 I thought about the layout and the lack of security. I wondered what horror went through those that saw the planes coming in. In some ways, they were the lucky ones, to have died instantly, whilst those on the floors above, slowly realised there was no way out and perished Recently, I heard the reaction from an observer watching from the ground, saying that this couldn't happen in America. It showed how little some US citizens believed they could be a target for terrorism, whilst many of us in the UK of a certain age group have always been under threat from the IRA. For those that jumped, I have hoped that the speed of the fall causes a blackout or something spiritual occurs to cause the victim to pass out.
I know, I've had the same thoughts about all the people who worked there on a daily basis. But, shudder to think of all those on the upper floors that fateful morning. I often think of what I would have done: jump or burn.
I remember SO many people, both in real life and on TV, saying that they couldn't believe this could happen in America. I never understood that opinion myself. The fact that 9/11 happened didn't surprise me all that much...though I will say I couldn't have ever have predicted terrorists flying planes into buildings before that day. Considering that much of the world hates our country and culture with a passion, seeing an attack happen like that just wasn't all that shocking to me. Instead it showed me how alot of people are ignorant and unaware how vulnerable we can be within our own borders.
When you look at it, you feel like nothing can happen. All surrounded by peacefulness....That you are safe. It’s unthinkable that a couple of months later, this became a real place of apocalypse, death, destruction and pain....
I was about 9 years old in 1981 when I first went to WTC, the observation deck with my parents, I was in absolute awe of these towers. The rooftop access was closed because it was too windy. Throughout the 90s when I would drive up the NJ Turnpike, I still had a sense of awe, excitement when I would see these two mammoth building way in the distance, about 25 miles south. So iconic and beautiful. The last time I was there was Nov. 2000, again no rooftop access due to high winds. I saw last night the 2 massive beams of light (WTC 'Tribute in Light') being tested near the original WTC site, powerful tribute...still saddens me this time every year.
1:51 - I can see my apartment building that I lived in at the time in Newport (Jersey City) which was almost directly on top of the Holland Tunnel. It's interesting to see where I lived from this perspective (thanks for posting!!). On 9/11 I actually slept through the whole thing (!!). I was sleeping that late because I worked nights (commuted through the WTC a few hours before the attacks). Seeing how close I was makes it that much more unbelievable that I was not woken up by it all. What did wake me up were sirens and non-stop phone calls. Never forget.
Clinton Township Lifts by MagicalLift256 I saw them once when I i was like 10 year old then in like 1996 or 1997 then that was the last time I saw them standing I was on chambers st in Manhattan
I had a chance to go to WTC in May 2000. What a outstanding view, what a wonderful majestic buildings the towers were. Still have a admission ticket, $13. Sept 11 2001 I was in the air, from Ohare to Houston. Took off after 7am and grounded before we reach destination they didn’t tell us what’s going on. Very sad day, very dark moment of human history. Deepest condolences to All who lost their families and friends. Recently I went to memorial, closed my eyes and tears just started to drop..
I was at the World Trade Center on August 31st, 2001, it was the first and sadly last time for me. I got the chance to go to the top of the South Tower observation deck and man the views were breathtaking. I remember not wanting to leave, I wanted to stay at the top forever lol. I unfortunately never got any video footage except a few pictures and the ticket for the observation deck but I will always cherish that memory. I'm forever thankful for getting the opportunity to go to the top of the World Trade Center.
@@reconforsales7708 you do know the towers received almost 2 million visitors a year right? It’s not that crazy of a thought. You’re just being a dick.
I am Japanese. I was an elementary school student at that time,but I still remember being shocked when I saw a video of the building collapsing on a news program. I strongly hope that such an incident will never happen again from Japan.
@@elchinitofeliz1699 not about that he side PLAIN ridiculous the plain part made me say bruh i think he meant a air plain becuse a plain hit the towers it is a bad joke he did
@@donutgamingyt1849 if they meant plane, they would either say "plane ridiculous" or would write "PLAIN ridiculous" That was probably an unintended pun.
After 22 years, it still feels like it all happened yesterday. Peace for all those who perished on that day. I have never got to see the original towers with my own eyes. Very unfortunate. I was eleven. I visited the Ground Zero in late 2002, only to discover the huge emptiness of it. Hard to believe those towers fell and crushed everything at the very spot I was standing. Someday, I wish to visit there again.
W latach 80 ych mój tatuś pracował w sąsiedztwie wierz. Podczas zamachu,będąc już w domu ,płakał jak dziecko. Nie mógł w ten dramat uwierzyć ,był w szoku .Mogłam tylko przy nim byc. Kocham Cię tatusiu ...zawsze .
Współczuję twojemu ojcu. Nie mogę sobie wyobrazić trudności, jakie musiał znosić tego dnia. Wierzę, że jest przynajmniej wdzięczny, że nie było go tam wtedy, więc ty mogłaś być przy nim.
Fakt że można tu znaleźć też komentarze ludzi z innych krajów niż Stany Zjednoczone wskazuje jak globalna to była tragedia. Fascynuje mnie też to że tu w Polsce, tak dużo ludzi pamięta co robiło 11 września 2001 roku...
This video was recorded just one day after I was born. I'm not from the US, but I still grieve because of the loss of all the lives, even though I was 2 months old at the time.
The buildings were so majestic and impressive. I can't imagine what looking at them in person must have felt like. It's truly sad what happened to them.
There was something strangely awesome about standing on top of one of the towers and seeing its twin just a few meters away...it was as if it was a reminder that New York didn't just build America's tallest building, it built it TWICE! It's really a shame that there is only one tower put up as a replacement. It looks kinda...incomplete.
Yeah, the Twin Towers became the tallest buildings in America (and the world) in 1972 but then in 1974 the Sears Tower was completed and it became the tallest and remained the tallest for 24 years. The Sears tower was 13 to 19ft taller than the twin towers and the antennas didn't count.
Noaoah same, I’m not american and I wasn’t born yet but my parents just got married and where traveling through the US at that time, the day they would leave this happened, someone my parents visited would also get on a plane on that day, at the same time she sat in the terminal, passengers of the plane that was going to hit one of the towers, she may even have sat next to one of the terrorists
I worked in Tower 2, from 10/1/81 to approximately 8/22/82. I was in the Alien Certification Unit, of the State Employment Service. It was a temporary assignment, and I then went back to 1515 Broadway.
1:15 I remember as a four year old kid walking into this lobby in April 2001 because I was in the area and I needed to use a restroom. It wasn't until 5 years ago I made the connection that the large square shaped room with the flags hanging off the railings was the original world trade center. It's ominous realizing a location from a fairly insignificant memory you've had most of your life no longer exists
You have a shitty way of presenting chronologically your memories, in april 2001 you enter WTC and it makes you remember your 4 year old self doing the same. 2016 you remember the WTC you entered was the original one. OR you were really 4 yo in april 2001 and remembered in 2016 that it was the original WTC.
@@greggblade810 what could someone have done? “You get off that plane right now!”? Do you really think anyone could have just stopped it from happening?
Zostały mi tylko pamiątki, zdjęcia.Byłam na jednym z tych budynków. Do tej pory nie mogę uwierzyć w to co się stało 😢. Serce❤ wszechświata pamięta o istotach ludzkich.
These buildings were the biggest things I had ever seen in my childhood. They looked especially phenomenal at night with the hundreds of lit floors. It was incomprehensible at the time that they could actually fall.
I was here 2 days before the attack. 13 years old. I’ll never forget how huge these buildings were in person. 😔 we were going to go to the observation deck but decided to do it next time we came. Didn’t know there wouldn’t be a next time.
The new one doesn't have the same impact. I try to tell people who were never there what an occasion the twins were but you really need to stand near them to understand.
One of the most stand out things in this video, apart from the immense scale of the buildings, is strolling in with no security lines or searches. How times have changed! Very sad...
the view at the end was what most people saw before they died. imagine how scary it must be to either decide on burning up inside the building or to jump to death. it’s an extremely hard decision. at the end of the day they didn’t have a choice
I still cant believe its been 20 years i wish they were able to stop it i miss the original towers cant imagine just seeing all those people jumping out i watched the vid of the tower collapsing that was scary
It is wonderful and at the same time sad to look at these shots 20 years later. Looking at this, you understand how quiet and beautiful the city of New York was. It is a pity that you will never see them live. Hello from Russia!🇷🇺
As a visitor from Italy I remember having seen the first floors of the first tower under construction in 1971, then having enjoyed the breathtaking sight from the top of it at least three times in the next years and then having watched both towers falling down on TV. So so terribly sad
Estive um dia antes dos ataques, realmente inacreditável o que aconteceu, na época tinha 10 anos estava com meu pai e foi deslumbrante a vista da torre norte, algo que jamais esqueceremos
I had dinner with a relative near the top of one of the towers in June of 1981. Little did I know what would happen a little over 20 years later. The very nice restaurant was called something like "The Windows Of The World."
Well....yes....the future is unpredictable, always changing, never written in stone. Maybe what’s eerie is the realization we have no control over history, even our own existence as much as we like to think we do.
i really dont care for WTC, its nothing important, i mean who talks about war crimes yanks did in vietnam or that road in Iran or literally any war yanks were in
If we knew the future we wouldn’t live, if we lived forever we wouldn’t live. Life is a journey, uncertainty is what we crave, and it’s what we fear the most, but uncertainty is what makes life amazing. Those people died under horrific circumstances, but they were living, they were doing what they wanted to do and they wouldn’t of changed anything that day. I could die right now, or tomorrow or next week, I could have a car accident, I could have a medical episode or whatever, life is brutal but we MUST carry on, and embrace death, suffering, pain as natural things that unfortunately we must experience and will experience in our lives. Holy shit life is terrifying, but it’s better than any movie.
Having been born in 2004 it’s honestly odd to see footage of the World Trade Center outside of 9/11. Ive grown up to know the WTC as a symbol of the attacks, and seeing that this place was once a calm, peaceful area is a bit out of left field. That being said, I’m thankful for the internet for providing a clearer picture of what this place was like before the attacks.
Being born in '03 I feel the same way as you do. It's awfully eerie because subconsciously your brain thinks: "Hold on they shouldn't be there, they should be on fire." We've grown up viewing these towers as a symbol of terror that to see them in any other state is jolting.
as a person born in 2009 i completely agree with both of you. it just seems weird that im looking at what it was like before 9/11 happened, since i never went there
I was born in 2006. I agree a lot. I've never saw any footage of the WTC before the attacks so I saw it as a symbol of 9/11 and how much devastation was caused that day. Seeing how calm it is really puts a clearer picture in my head, but it also freaks me out to know this video was taken less than 3 months before the attacks.
Those towers were truly miracles, and I would 100% fly to New York City just to admire them. So tall and profound, like two giants watching over the world. If they weren't carelessly obliterated by those peices of garbage, these skyscrapers would still be incredibly important structures. I wanted to see how they continued to help the world, I wanted to learn how it evolved over the years. I miss those towers, even though I wasn't alive when they were completed. Such a waste in every way, really. But we won't forget how they marked the New York City skyline, we can't forget. Whether they're there or not, the Twin Towers are a spectacular sight to behold.
I was there in August, literally 1 month before the attacks. My first time seeing the towers and NYC. They were just huge, I was so impressed. And the view from the observation deck, you could see the entire city! I will always keep those memories.
If you've seen terminator 2 and go the the part where Sarah Connor is shouting at those kids in the park but they can't hear her. That's how I'm feeling right now
A close friend of my old English teacher worked in one of the towers. On the day of the attack she overslept which very likely saved her life. Pretty insane story.
It must seem surreal that you were there and a few weeks later none of this exists anymore. And when you consider that this view for the many people who were locked in the upper part of the building, knowing full well that they will die, then you see this view completely different. On the day of the attack, I was at work, had no radio and didn't know what had happened. I heard from a customer that a plane had flown into the WTC. A little later another customer said that the towers collapsed. I couldn't imagine what it looked like, but in the evening I saw these terrible pictures on TV. People who jumped out of the window because they would rather die immediately instead of being tortured to be burned in this trap. The buildings that collapsed, knowing full well that there are still people in there. It was just horrific to see this and to know that thousands of lives ended in this moment. I still cry today because it meant so incredible suffering for thousands of people. Not only for the people who lost their lives that day, but also for the bereaved spouses, children, parents, siblings and friends. All of their lives were changed forever in that moment. It's all so sad and the days before and after the anniversary open old wounds. I am so sorry for these people!
I’m left wondering what the person who recorded this was thinking on September 11th. I’d personally be quite heartbroken, because this is literally just weeks away from the attack.
From 1990 to 2001 was maybe the most peaceful, worriless period one could have ever lived in as a western citizen. Promisses of nuclear disarmement, an innocent newborn internet, no smartphones and social media to pit ppl. against each other. I was lucky to be a child and a teenager in this period. It's indelible proof to me that there was and can be a place of peace in history. WTC in its hayday, right before the attacks, to me is a reminder of the lost paradise of my youth.
1:30 its such a sweet and simple moment, reaching out and touching one of the flags. Something whoever did that did so absentmindedly, just bored on the way to the top. But here it is, forever captured and replayable forever. The towers are long gone, but this moment will be around for eternity. Even when you stand in front of the South Pool, staring into the void, you can find right down to the coordinate that same spot of the flag, where this girl once touched it so daintily decades ago.
My birthday is on that day. Turned 5. It sucks that I don't have much recollection of a world that was still simple. World was still shining back then.
I was fortunate enough to go up there in 1998, thanks to my best friend in high school. I'm 41 now and I can say, for those brave souls that lost their lives, it brings back chills because you don't realize how high up you are! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I was there in 1998 as well. My high school band stayed in the Marriot World Trade and had the priviledge of going up to the observation deck and ate a few meals in the mall under the plaza.
@@cameronbartlett6593 Actually the only asbestos used was in the North Tower and only to the 38th floor. After that they switched to another fire proofing material for the rest of the complex.
Really? Maybe it's something to do with me being from the quaint old country (England) but whenever I find myself more than three floors up in a building, I feel very giddy.
But back when they were proposed, then built, many people hated them. Saying they were blah, unimaginative, intrusive, ugly, or too big. How dare they buildsomethong higher than the beloved Empire State Building! In the early 1970s, some actually wanted the monster buildings to be torn down to "restore the NYC skyline"!
Canadian Gamer I visited them a few times & they always given off a strange vibe. Maybe the gray steel used on its exoskeleton skin or long stretched windows. Or it’s wind heard elevator shafts, Eerie. When I was on top floor I watched a movie after looking out its windows & felt that of anything were to happen you’re screwed. You are up so high it’s not good. Not that anyone knew that a plane would end up hitting towers but more if something happened to its structure you’re toast.
My deepest condolences to all the families of the victims of this unfortunate attack, a big hug to the American people, know that I am with you, greetings from Argentina.
My deepest condolences to all the families of the victims of this unfortunate attack and America's invasions after that, a big hug to the people of America, Afghanistan and other Arab countries which US invaded. I am with you
@@abdullah9892 Thank you for taking into account other people who are victims of terrorist attacks from other countries, but your comment is superfluous.
if you really want to give your deepest condolences then you should speak out against how the US government did this as an inside job. The gov killed it's own people.
I'm a native New Yorker. I grew up taking family trips, school field trips, and friends from other places who'd visit me in NYC up to the top of WTC 2. I had my high school graduation celebratory dinner at Windows on The World back in June of 1991 at the top of WTC 1 (the North Tower). I grew up with the WTC. It was a part of my life as a New Yorker. THEN, came the 1993 bombing. I wasn't living in NYC at that point -- I was in my first year of college up in Western Massachusetts. That was VERY SCARY -- I called home, everyone was ok, my sister was in her freshman year of high school, my Dad left work and went and got her and took her home, schools closed across the city for the rest of the day. I was going to go home to be with my family, they said: "No, we're fine, don't worry, besides you have races in Vermont & New Hampshire this weekend" -- which was true, I was the Head Coach of my college's Ski & Snowboarding Team. After the 93' bombing, whenever I happened to be at home in NYC, I instinctively AVOIDED the WTC. I had become afraid of it. In 1997, a childhood friend of mine started working on the 74th floor of WTC 2 (the South Tower) for Merrill Lynch and her office ended up being three floors below the impact zone of United 175. In 1999, I moved back home to NYC for graduate school at NYU, (and was working in the Hudson Square area on the lower West Side about 17 blocks to the North of the WTC) and was actually in my third (and final) year of grad school when 9/11 occurred. Lucky me, I was in NYC on 9/11. My sister and brother-in-law had moved out to Colorado already, my childhood friend was living on Staten Island, my parents were up in Vermont at their farm on 9/11 (🙏) and my Aunt was the only other family member I had in the city with me, she was living in Brooklyn Heights, a couple of miles from me. I was living in South Park Slope with my long-term college boyfriend who'd also gone to NYU. FORTUNATELY, he was at home in Chicago visiting family when 9/11 happened. He'd literally flown out of LGA on 9/10. 9/11 started off as a GORGEOUS day in NYC, one of the nicest early Fall days I'd EVER seen. My Dog 🐶 Caramel and I went out for our morning rountine: to get coffee for me/morning walk for her. We usually walked around Bartel-Pritchard Square (by Prospect Park) because she liked squatting & sprinkling the bushes and flowers there. 😂 We got back to the apartment from our morning ritual at about 8:30am, and I got in the shower because I was due at work in Manhattan by 10am. AA 11 impacted the North Tower while I was in the shower @ 8:46am when I was just finishing up my shower and I felt my building shake, but I didn't think anything of it because the Subway ran under my apartment building and usually shook it all day long. I knew something was HORRIBLY wrong when I got out of the shower about 8:48-8:49am though, BECAUSE I heard the 🚨's. LOTS & LOTS of them. WAY MORE 🚨's than on ANY other day, even in NYC. And Caramel was going ABSOLUTELY NUTS! When I'd gone into the shower she'd been calm and relaxed and had gone and laid down on her bed out in the living room. I still didn't realize she'd experienced the shockwave from AA 11.
I’m in England, but every time I see old footage with the beautiful Towers on the skyline, I feel so desperately sad that they’re gone. They were magnificent and so iconic. I wish I could have visited them. May all those innocents who perished that day have eternal peace.
RIP to everyone that perished that day. By the 90s, it seems like a lot of people came to love the towers, which is fitting because they do have a tough love, mid-century modern, brutalist look to them that really stood out in the '70s New York skyline and a lot of people thought they were soulless and corporate, which is a fair conclusion since they were simple giant grey rectangles. It's sad that they're both gone, the One WTC doesn't have nearly the same charm and to me is even more boring in design IMO since the old ones were so lacking in ornament that that's what made them so cool.
I was at work that day and we had BBC news on at the time. When news broke of the towers being hit, we all stood and still, didn't utter a word. Truely horrific 😢
I went to the city many times as a kid, and the first thing I would see when driving into the city were the beautiful towers. They truly made the skyline. I was in Nyc for a field trip my 8th grade year. June 2001 I took a class photo outside the North Tower. I still remember everything I was doing that tragic day and it still breaks my heart 💔
@@asagoodfriend Also, the class photo I am thinking of was actually in front of the gold globe fountain that was in between both towers in the plaza/ court yard area. It was taken in front of the gold globe with North Tower behind us. That globe sculpture actually survived the collapse. It had damage but survived. There are photo’s of it on google in the rubble. The globe now sits in Liberty Park, at the edge of the 9/11 memorial.
I remember being 8 years old on the roof of my apartment building seeing both buildings on fire. I can still picture it in my mind. My dad brought me inside before they collapsed fortunately.
I was born in 2001 and this video is so crazy to see. Everything seems so much more quiet and calm. Everything really started getting noisy and crazy after September 11th.
I’m a pretty pessimistic person so I usually say “oh well” or “whatever” to other peoples’ deaths but there’s something really unsettling about the fact that in this video, you know what’s about to happen. And there’s nothing I can do about it.
Blessed to have taken a class trip in the early eighties… we weren’t outside but I guess indoors observation floor. Huge glass windows…amazed as a kid watching the horizon curve…..sad
Alternative observation…the people in line are all talking and present with each other, not staring at their phones! What a different world in so many ways.
The plaza seems to have been an excellent place to just sit down and enjoy a day, checking out the various faculties and eating your lunch while staring at those massive towers. Absolute tragedy that it became a place of so much pain and loss. My heart goes out to anyone who tried to spend their day there to never get home, and the families that lost their loved ones.
