Nova World Angel Falls

An angel in the rubble

She left her East Brooklyn apartment and headed for work, reaching Manhattan around 7.50am, arriving in her office at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey on the 64th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre, at 8.05.

At 8.46am, she was chatting to a colleague, Susan Miszkowicz, when the two women heard a startling sound in the distance.

''Did you hear that?'' Miszkowicz asked.

''Yeah, I heard it,'' Guzman-McMillan replied.

They didn't know it but American Airlines Flight 11 had crashed into their building just 30 floors above them.

Next thing they knew the whole building started to vibrate, then everything and everyone shook violently and uncontrollably, enough that they were jolted 10cm into the air, a massive single shockwave that rocked the building - and then the entire building seemed to sway from top to bottom.

The entire episode, from the shattering noise to the final sway, lasted about 20 seconds, then everything was still.

For the next hour and a half, no one knew what to do. There were conflicting reports about what had occured. Through television bulletins and phone calls, the 20 people in the office finally worked out what had happened but still didn't know what to do. After initially being told to stay in the office, that everything was okay, a little after 10am, manager Pat Hoey called the Port Authority Police again and told them they were going to use the stairs to try and get out.

The group heads for the stairs. Guzman-McMillan's high heels are hurting but the group is upbeat, counting down milestones as they pass floor numbers. At the 42nd floor, they meet firefighters on their way up.

Solar Pool Covers » The Ten Most Wondrous Places in The World to ...

The Earth is such a beautiful planet, the wealth of which was not truly known before the first views of the planet from space were made available. When viewed from the International Space Station (ISP), the Earth is a wondrous view, with many beautiful places standing out from the others, like the Uluru-Ayres Rock in Australia, the Himalayas or the Great Lakes. With that in mind, ten of the most amazing places in the world to visit are, but are in no way limited to;

* The Grand Canyon. Not just another little hole in the ground, the Grand Canyon must be one of the most wondrous places on the Earth to visit, especially since the construction of the walkway that goes over the edge, with glass sides and bottom, which gives the viewers a panoramic view below their feet.  And an uneasy feeling in their stomachs.

Camping, mule rides, swimming under waterfalls, white water rafting and zip line riding are amongst the many eco-tourist adventures waiting for one and all at the Grand Canyon. For the more hearty, there is backwoods camping and kayaking available, but the waiting lists for these events can be years long.

* Yellowstone National Park.  Yes, Old Faithful. Staying in the United States, Yellowstone National Park, where Old Faithful remains faithful, and boiling lava, steam and water geysers await the camera holders, awaits one and all. The old geyser, pun intended, is one of the most accurately occuring natural phenomenon in the world. Fishing, camping, and being blown away by the power and regularity of the geysers all await you.  But beware, the bears in the parking lots may try to steal your lunch, or anything else that smells or looks good to them.

* Tibetan Sky Temples. In Tibet, the world’s highest temples can be visited, amongst some of the most beautiful mountain vistas there are in any country. There really is a reason that they believed that they were closer to Buddha up there. Tours can be arranged, or rental vehicles arranged in advance so that you can visit more than one of these majestic Temples. Of course, you can always go the way it was meant and walk the Stairway to Heaven.

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