Yesterday, while taking a walk along the beautiful Hudson River in Hoboken, N.J., I couldn't help but reflect on my 11 years here, working for National Underwriter. In fact, my anniversary falls next week.
The view, just a short walk from our office, is one of the best in the world. I feel lucky to be here every day, as the Empire State Building, right across the river, can't be missed as I emerge from the train station.
This location, however, also has afforded the cat-seat to some unsettling, even heartbreaking views. First on everybody's mind in this area was that warm, sunny day in September 2001 when we went outside the office, having heard that one of the World Trade Center buildings was on fire. Several of us stood mesmerized, watching from across the Hudson as flames from the top floors licked skyward. A plume of thick, black smoke filled the air. A short time later we witnessed a large airplane traveling across the sky. It came closer and closer, finally exploding into the second tower. Our world was changed at that moment and we knew it.
Not too long after that was the blackout of parts of the East Coast. With no power in the office and no trains running, I grabbed the first bus I could out of the terminal. I was lucky to reach my husband by cell phone and he picked me up about a half-hour from home. A friend in the office who lives in Brooklyn wasn't as lucky. Not able to find any transportation across the Hudson, she spent the night in her office.
And then, just a few years ago was the day when “Sully” Sullivan landed his plane, using the Hudson River as a runway. I heard the media reports and walked out to the end of a huge pier, now a park right on the Hudson. There, at a distance to the north I could see the floating, crippled airplane. The sky was abuzz with circling helicopters and water taxis and ferries raced by. As I watched, to my amazement, the airplane, now empty of its passengers, was towed past.
Yes, my 11 years here in Hoboken have been anything but boring. But I'll take ho-hum any day over some of the excitement we've witnessed here.
Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader
Your access to unlimited PropertyCasualty360 content isn’t changing.
Once you are an ALM digital member, you’ll receive:
- Breaking insurance news and analysis, on-site and via our newsletters and custom alerts
- Weekly Insurance Speak podcast featuring exclusive interviews with industry leaders
- Educational webcasts, white papers, and ebooks from industry thought leaders
- Critical converage of the employee benefits and financial advisory markets on our other ALM sites, BenefitsPRO and ThinkAdvisor
Already have an account? Sign In Now
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
