The strength that brought us together
Twenty-five years later, most of us can remember exactly where we were when the towers fell. One of my strongest memories about the aftermath of September 11 is the smell. Smoke and chemicals hung in the air. A thick smog haze settled over lower Manhattan and lingered for months. I would come home at night and wash my clothes, only to return to it the next morning.
And I remember the funerals. So many funerals—for friends and neighbors, and for the firefighters and police officers who ran toward the towers to help others escape and never came home. Everyone knew someone who had been affected.
There was tremendous uncertainty. Streets and storefronts were destroyed. People were unable to return to their homes. Businesses were struggling. Lower Manhattan looked, felt, and smelled like a smoldering war zone. And no one knew whether there would be another attack.
Two months after 9/11, I joined the Downtown Alliance as General Counsel and became part of the effort to help Lower Manhattan recover—supporting the businesses and communities working to rebuild one of New York’s most important economic centers.
What I witnessed during those years has stayed with me.
Property owners, businesses, residents, and city and state leaders came together with a shared determination: we would rebuild. Businesses reopened. Storefronts returned. Transportation connections improved. Arts and cultural programming brought people downtown. Residential conversions helped transform the neighborhood. Slowly, life returned.
Twenty-five years later, Lower Manhattan is thriving. There is a beautiful memorial and museum, new transportation infrastructure, homes, businesses, parks, and a vibrant community. It can be difficult to remember just how uncertain its future once seemed.
Today is first and foremost about remembering.
We remember the nearly 3,000 people whose lives were taken. We honor the first responders who ran toward danger and those who continue to suffer from illnesses caused by their service, loss of friends, or from their memories. We remember the families who have carried unimaginable loss for 25 years.
And we remember something else from that time: people refused to give up on one another.
In those moments of extraordinary grief and uncertainty, communities came together. People helped their neighbors. Business leaders refused to walk away. Public servants worked alongside residents to rebuild. Twenty-five years later, that spirit of resilience and common purpose is worth remembering, too.
We will never forget.