Friends at the End of The Day

After a drink at the Peter McManus Pub at 7th Ave and 19th Street last night, my beautiful friend Angela and I made our way down to Lower Manhattan. On that murderous day two years ago, it was in McManus that she and I finally met up, 14 hours after the planes hit.

Angela was a sight for sore, shocked eyes two years ago. So, that little pub is special to us. It makes us feel a little better to remember while doing something simple; meeting for a drink and walking the streets in the same places we did that day. These small deeds and our friendship are strong comfort.

Emotions were still high at nine o’clock last night around Ground Zero. But there were also the tourists who seemed thick to what they were looking at. And there were the folks selling 9-11/FDNY/WTC overpriced crap. We paid our respects, gazed at the Towers of Lights, took in the changes in and around The Pit, spoke softly to each other and moved on with our thoughts, fears and sadness.

A massive part of my experience that deadly day was the people around me. Angela was the only one not on the Getty Images news team who I shared with that Tuesday. The entire first 14 hours of the horror I spent working on a news desk ten blocks north of the Towers with a fine crew. They were all brave and dedicated and did an amazing job. Together we got out to the rest of the word some of the most powerful, moving pictures.

Riding north and away from the blue pikes of light last night, our heaviness of the day seemed to ease. We had dealt with the pain and moved on again, not forgetting but moving on. And we were riding to meet friends.

It was a war ago since I had seen my old pal Tyler Hicks of The New York Times. And there he was standing with glass in hand smiling with all sorts of other brilliant friends and photographers in the back room at The Half King.

Old pal and Getty shooter Spencer Platt was there as well with his beautiful girlfriend Erika. And my friend Mario Tama too. And Julie. And Chris Hondros. And the most amazing photo editor Sandy Ciric. The stringers and the guys from the News and Newsday were eating fish and chips and drinking beer. What a brilliant gathering, a dysfunctional family reunion of sorts. All were enjoying.

Beautiful.

It was during the war in Kosovo that I first met Tyler, Hondros and Spencer. It was on September 11th that I worked under war conditions with Sandy, Mario and Spencer. And Angel and I grew closer fast in that day. These were the friends I need to see and laugh with last night.

It was fine and perfect way to close a sad day. We went our separate ways at midnight buzzing off seeing old friends. It was just what we needed. And then we moved on.