Alumni and Friends React To Tragedy September 27, 2001 I’m a 1992 alum (Journalism) and just wanted to let you know I’m AOK! I live in D.C., but thankfully I don’t know anyone (personally) who died in the attacks. Here are some of my thoughts about that day. Like most people, I was at work when I heard the news. It was early enough in the morning that I hadn’t even started working yet, I was going through emails and noticed on a message board that I frequent that a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The message line did not sound alarming and I was picturing this little twin engine jet, so I didn’t even bother reading the topic! As the minutes passed by, I started hearing my coworkers talking and I caught the word “terrorist” and someone suddenly called out “They’re evacuating the White House (I work three blocks from it) and the Pentagon is on fire!” I sat there in stunned silence, and if you can believe this I kept sitting there, surfing the web! I guess I needed some sort of validation that all of this was happening, but I could not reach any news sites. Moments later the building I work in was evacuated, and we were all sent home at about 10 a.m. The streets were filled with hundreds of people who were in the same position that we were. I hopped on a bus to head back into my neighborhood, and when we went by the White House guys in suits and green army fatigues were directing traffic. I’ve been to one funeral: that of CNN’s Barbara Olson. I didn’t know her personally, but had watched her over the years on various news programs, and was horrified to learn she’d been one of the victims. Robert Bork and Justice Clarence Thomas gave the eulogies, and there were about 700 people in attendance, including several Bush staffers. This was the Saturday after the attacks, and emotions were raw. Things are quieting down here a bit now, but the terrorist attacks have had a ripple effect on the city and its economy. The indefinite closure of Reagan National Airport has killed tourism, and hotels have had to lay off MANY of their employees. Hotels normally booked to near-full capacity are about 25% full, as many conventions have been canceled. People are too afraid to fly (I’m one of those people, but I’ll fly again as soon as they reopen my airport). If anyone reading this has never been to DC and would like to visit, NOW is the time to do it. You will have few crowds to contend with at the tourist attractions and hoteliers SCREAMING for your business and dropping their room rates. I feel vulnerable living here now. I’m reluctant to take the Metro (subway) for fear of an attack on the system. They do not have very good security and have made few changes since the terrorist attacks (there have been MANY letters to the editor in the Washington Post about this). Plus, I suspect there are still some terrorists in the region. For the first week after the attack I was feeling just awful--I didn’t even want to leave the apt. But I’m slowly coming around. Like everyone, I’m just taking each day as it comes. Still, a part of me is waiting for the other shoe to drop. Lisa Johnson  ’92( A&S) Washington, D.C.