Sagabite

Dale sent me this story on September 11 People:

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Where were you on September 11, 2001? A common enough question, but how many people answer: “Disney World“?

I was in kindergarten when Kennedy was assassinated, and had believed for years that that event would be the biggest in my lifetime.  How wrong I was.

For those of us employed in the citrus industry, September is the last chance to party before the long season begins.  I liked to spend at least part of this time away from everything-no telephone, no computer, and no CNN.  What better place is there to escape reality than Disney World?  My former girlfriend and I planned a week there from September 8-15: staying offsite to save a little money.

The morning of September 11, we had scheduled a visit to Animal Kingdom and we were at the gates before they opened.  It was a beautiful day-clear and bright-with just a hint of the heat that was to come.  The plan was to wander around on foot while it was still cool, and catch a few shows and water rides when the day started to heat up.  We decided to see the ‘Tarzan Rocks’ show at 11:30, and were seated and waiting by 11:25 or so.

After several minutes people watching and sipping on a cold drink, I noticed the show was running late.
“Not like Disney to be late,” I thought.   “They are usually so punctual.  Oh well.”

A few more minutes passed.  The kids around us were starting to get whiny and restless.  Finally, about 11:45, a female ‘cast member’ appeared at the podium, flanked by two men in suits.  Odd.

“Due to the tragedy that has befallen our country this morning, we are closing all the parks and ask that you remain calm, and allow us to direct you to the nearest exit,” she said.

Silence.

My first thought was that this must be part of the show.  I had never seen it before-or maybe this is some kind of joke.  Then again, nobody was laughing.

My second thought, as reality is starting to take hold was “Holy crap!  Disney doesn’t even close for Christmas-this must be a seriously messed up situation here!”

Nobody was moving.  It took some gentle prodding from the Disney staff to get us up and moving towards the exits.  At that point, anyone with a cell phone was on it.  We overheard bits and pieces of conversations-something about the Pentagon- as we walked slowly towards the exit.  Disney employees lined the way, handing out passes, but answering no questions.

We made it to the car and found ourselves in one humongous traffic jam.  It took 2 hours to drive the 15 miles to the motel.  On the radio, there were reports of the parks closing and of Orlando hospitals being on high alert.  What was going on?

Looking back now, I find it hard to believe that there were not reports of planes hitting buildings, but I don’t remember any.  Was it so hard to believe that it just wouldn’t sink in?  To this day, I don’t know.

All I can honestly say is that it didn’t become real to me until I saw it on CNN late in the day on that September 11.  And, for some reason I still feel guilty for being at Disney World on the day the real world changed forever.