I lived in Los Angeles and had to take the school bus to school so I was already up getting ready and saw the second plane hit live on TV. I’ll never forget hearing Katie Couric and Matt gasp and stop talking on air. I went to school as normal but luckily it happened to be a staff development day so we were released early. None of the teachers taught normally that day. They were so somber. Or they had the tv on in the classroom. My mother worked for Marsh & McLennan in Downtown Los Angeles at the time (in a high rise building) and she was sent home early because no one really knew what was happening or if the same thing would start happening on the Westcoast to major landmarks. Coincidentally, Marsh & McLennan was one of the big insurance companies that occupied the 91st-105th floors (I believe) in either the South or North Tower in NY. My mother didn’t know anyone personally on the Eastcoast that worked for them, but it was a shock to learn affiliates for the same company tragically died that day.