I was in New York during 9/11

Probably the most profound thing that has ever happened to me was in 2001. I was in New York to attend a gala, and the day before Jake and I decided to do a little tourism. We were down on Wall street when we heard a huge explosion. Someone ran by, saying a plane had just crashed into the World Trade Center. Once we got to where we could see the buildings ourselves, the next one hit. We just started running at that point, knowing it was no coincidence. Luckily, we got far enough away that, when the towers fell, we were outside the cloud they kicked up. I was nearly hysterical, thinking we were being invaded, and the rest of the afternoon was spent just trying to get out of New York.