New York City native Adrienne Cirigliano reflects on witnessing history unfold and the lasting impact it left on her life

By Sophia Schiappa | Photo by Jesse Mills

As the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaches, schools teach students about the tragedy, parents share its history with their children, and survivors reflect on the day that changed their lives. For those who lived in New York City at the time, each anniversary brings new levels of emotion. But on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, for city native Adrienne Cirigliano, it began as just another ordinary day.  

Cirigliano stopped at her usual coffee and bagel shop before heading to work in Midtown Manhattan.    

“I used to take the train to 49th and 6th [to work]. I worked for Columbia House Music Club, which was right across the street from Radio City Music Hall,” said Cirigliano. “The [worker] said something about a plane hitting a building, but I really wasn’t paying attention. I just kept it moving.”

Cirigliano walked into her building expecting the office to be bustling. Instead, she was met with silence. Coworkers stared at their T.V. screens intently, trying to make sense of what was happening.

“That’s when I realized what was going on,” said Cirigliano. “The first building had obviously already [been] struck, but we literally watched the second building [get] hit.”

The Columbia House Music Club was evacuated shortly afterward, and Cirigliano was able to make a phone call to one of her friends who worked close by. The pair planned to meet up but were stopped by the thousands of other evacuated New Yorkers in the streets.

Cirigliano served in the United States Marine Corps from 1993 to 1995 with specialties in communications. With her military background, Cirigliano used her training to assess the rapidly changing situation.

“The streets [were] just full of people trying to figure out where they should go,” remarked Cirigliano. “We weren’t sure what was a target, but we figured that if they’re [hitting] popular New York City landmarks, we [wouldn’t] want to go to somewhere like Central Park.”

As civilians tried to navigate the streets of New York, communication with others was limited. Like many other New Yorkers in 2001, Cirigliano didn’t carry a cell phone. The only means of communication was through landline payphones.

“Even if you could get on the payphone, all the lines were busy,” recounted Cirigliano. “I also had two uncles who worked down on Wall Street, [so] I didn’t know if they were in the buildings or not.”

Although the uncertainty of Sept. 11 eventually gave way to answers, the memories of that day have never left Cirigliano. Witnessing the attacks firsthand changed the way she viewed both her country and the people around her.

“I just think that it was certainly a wake-up call for a lot of people,” said Cirigliano. “I think humanity was a lot kinder to one another after that because so many lives were lost, and you just wanted to hug your people and love your people and check in on your people.”

Nearly 25 years later, the memories of that day continue to mold and shape Cirigliano’s life. As another anniversary approaches, she reflects on the compassion and resilience that emerged in its aftermath.