You are very welcome, Snowbird. Most people who don't live around here probably never gave this a thought, as to how millions of people were able to leave the city. But, Manhattan is an island.
Just think of the movie West Side Story when they sing ( Rita Moreno sings the song on the rooftop) "I like the isle of Manhattan, smoke on your pipe ...etc ".
What's so absolutely shaking to me is that I have been right where these people are ,all massed together waiting for boats, many, many times.
If you go back and look at the film, there are lots of buses there. They weren't there for that day but, this is where buses park every day and wait for the ferries which are coming across the Hudson from various locations in N.J. to drop off people to take them to various locations in the city, such as the theater district...etc.
Rather than drive through the Lincoln tunnel and have to expensively park your car,( which is what we usually do) first fighting traffic, it's so much easier to drive to Weehawken, NJ and take a NY city waterways ferry across the river. We have done this many times. Most of the time I have done this with girlfriends when none of us want to drive in the city.
I know several people who came home to NJ on 9/11 via one of these boats and when back here in NJ were hosed off of all that soot.
All the tunnels and bridges remained closed for a long time. Afterwards, when opened, all modes of travel into the city were scrutinized by sheriff officers looking at cars, especially trucks. Any truck or person remotely suspicious looking were pulled over.
I know this because my son is a sheriff in our County and he was doing this on the George Washington Bridge.
I guess because of my proximity to this horrific day, when I watched this film, and I have a few times, I can't help but get teary eyed. God watch over us all I pray , so that no one has to experience another moment like this again.
