By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
AmextaFinanceAmextaFinance
  • Home
  • News
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Mortgage
  • Investing
  • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Commodities
    • Crypto
    • Forex
  • Videos
  • More
    • Finance
    • Dept Management
    • Small Business
Notification Show More
Aa
AmextaFinanceAmextaFinance
Aa
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Dept Management
  • Mortgage
  • Markets
  • Investing
  • Small Business
  • Videos
  • Home
  • News
  • Banking
  • Credit Cards
  • Loans
  • Mortgage
  • Investing
  • Markets
    • Stocks
    • Commodities
    • Crypto
    • Forex
  • Videos
  • More
    • Finance
    • Dept Management
    • Small Business
Follow US
AmextaFinance > Finance > Sept. 11 attacks: Windows on the World chef speaks about his near-miss on 9/11, when stopped off at the World Trade Center concourse to repair his glasses
Finance

Sept. 11 attacks: Windows on the World chef speaks about his near-miss on 9/11, when stopped off at the World Trade Center concourse to repair his glasses

News Room
Last updated: 2023/09/11 at 11:50 AM
By News Room
Share
9 Min Read
SHARE

Michael Lomonaco escaped with his life on Sept. 11, 2001 — all because of an unexpectedly easy commute to work and a pair of busted reading glasses.

Contents
8:46 a.m.: The first plane hits the North Tower9:03 a.m.: The second plane hits the South TowerThe aftermathA new chapter in New York

On that day, the New York City chef was headed to his job as culinary director of Windows on the World, the famed World Trade Center dining space. He took the position in 1997 after an already impressive career that included stints at such iconic Big Apple eateries as Le Cirque and the 21 Club.

But Windows represented a towering next step, literally and figuratively. The high-profile restaurant was situated near the top of one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers.

It was also an extremely demanding job — the restaurant, spread across the 106th and 107th floors of the North Tower, was actually several dining and drinking spots rolled into one and served as many as 1,000 customers a day. That meant Lomonaco typically put in long hours, arriving at 8:30 a.m. and working through dinner. It also meant he had little time to attend to personal errands.

“‘I could see people waving tablecloths out the windows of what I took to be the restaurant.’”


— Michael Lomonaco on what he witnessed before the Twin Towers collapsed

So Lomonaco took advantage of whatever free moments fell his way. And on the morning of Sept. 11, he used one such moment to get his glasses fixed, after his wife pushed him to make an appointment ahead of an Italian vacation the couple was taking the following week. He was at a LensCrafters store in the World Trade Center’s shopping concourse when the first plane hit.

MarketWatch spoke with the chef, who now heads another New York City restaurant, Porter House Bar and Grill, to talk about what happened that day and how he has since moved on with his life.

8:46 a.m.: The first plane hits the North Tower

Lomonaco was originally scheduled to visit the LensCrafters store at noon on Sept. 11, 2001. But because he was running ahead of schedule due to a lighter-than-normal commute, he decided to stop in early that morning when he had a chance — “What chef doesn’t want to save time?” he noted — with the hope that he could be accommodated. “I thought, ‘Let me see if I can do this now,’” he said. The store indeed had an opening.

When the first plane hit at 8:46 a.m., Lomonaco was still at LensCrafters. “We were minutes away from being finished. … They were probably about to sell me new frames,” he said. Suddenly, he was jolted by the crash. “I just thought, ‘Could that be the subway?’ It turns out it was the impact of the first plane.” The lights flickered and then went out in the store. And within a minute or two, the building’s security team arrived and said that the concourse was being evacuated.

When Lomonaco got to the street, he saw that “the sky was littered with paper, like confetti. That was all from the offices.” He also saw “smoldering, burning debris” on the ground. “I took it to be a small car,” he said, but later realized it was probably part of the plane’s fuselage.

He headed away to use a pay phone, because his cell service was out. He reached his wife — “I said, ‘I don’t know what’s happened. I just want you to know I’m outside’” — and the owners of Windows on the World. He started thinking about his employees at the restaurant. “I was trying to make a mental list of who was working,” he said, and he decided to return to the World Trade Center. “If I can help in any way, I thought, ‘Let me go help.’ It was not logical. It was emotional.”

9:03 a.m.: The second plane hits the South Tower

But Lomonaco didn’t make it back to the scene. Instead, he was one of many bewildered New Yorkers on the street when the second plane hit at 9:03 a.m. “I heard the roar of the jet engines. I looked up at the moment of impact,” Lomonaco recalled. And then he realized the full gravity of the situation: “This is an attack. We’re under attack.” Someone grabbed his arm and tried to pull him into a building. “They offered me safety,” he said, but he walked north.

Eventually, he stopped to view the damage. “It was terrifying and shocking all at once,” he said. “I could see people waving tablecloths out the windows of what I took to be the restaurant. I imagined they broke the windows. I imagined the space was filled with smoke.” At 9:59 am., the South Tower collapsed, followed by the North Tower at 10:28 a.m. The Twin Towers were gone, but Lomonaco was safe.

The aftermath

Lomonaco said that 79 people who worked at Windows on the World lost their lives that day. So did 91 restaurant guests — the dining spot had its morning regulars and was also hosting a conference that day. The restaurant staff was a diverse, international group, with the team referring to itself as the “little UN.”

In the aftermath of 9/11, Lomonaco helped set up the Windows of Hope fund to support the families of Windows employees and of other World Trade Center food-service workers who died.

“These are people who could be easily forgotten, overlooked and neglected, the people [often] at the lowest strata of the economic pay scale,” he said. As of 2021, the fund had raised $22 million.

A new chapter in New York

After 9/11, Lomonaco held various restaurant and consulting positions and had some choice opportunities to work in Chicago, San Francisco, Las Vegas and elsewhere. But he never considered leaving the city after 9/11: “I’m a native New Yorker, and I was never going to move after this.”

Eventually, he was able to realize a dream and open his own restaurant, the Porter House Bar and Grill, a steakhouse with an upscale, gourmet-centric approach. In many ways, the Midtown establishment is a continuation of Windows on the World, with Lomonaco continuing with some culinary ideas he had begun exploring at Wild Blue, the restaurant-within-a-restaurant at the World Trade Center dining spot. Lomonaco also brought aboard some key staff people he had worked with at Windows.

“‘I’m a native New Yorker, and I was never going to move after this.’”


— Michael Lomonaco

Lomonaco recalled how people were hesitant to return to restaurants in New York after 9/11. The same was true during the recovery from the pandemic, albeit for different reasons. But Lomonaco remains bullish on the city and its dining scene.

Lomonaco noted that he was not the only one to cheat death on 9/11. Indeed, some customers left Windows as late as 8:44 a.m., according to one report.

“Many people survived that day in other ways, too,” Lomonaco said, but added that he considers himself “among the fortunate.” And ever since 9/11, he has aimed to look forward. “I’ve tried to balance my life by never taking life for granted.”

Editor’s note: This story was originally published in September 2021 and has been republished for the anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Read the full article here

News Room September 11, 2023 September 11, 2023
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Copy Link Print
Leave a comment Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Finance Weekly Newsletter

Join now for the latest news, tips, and analysis about personal finance, credit cards, dept management, and many more from our experts.
Join Now
Singapore’s Temasek sours on European companies amid US tariff threats

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects…

The double-edged sword of a strong euro

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Currencies myFT Digest…

Apple bids for Formula 1 rights in US following success of Brad Pitt film

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects…

Russia attacks Ukraine’s draft offices in effort to undermine armed forces

Russian long-range drones have hit five military draft offices across Ukraine in…

China producer price deflation deepens as trade war bites

Stay informed with free updatesSimply sign up to the Chinese economy myFT…

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You Might Also Like

Finance

4 Ways To Avoid Fake Shipping Fee Swindles

By News Room
Finance

Dell Supports Endeavor Miami’s Quest To Empower Black Founders

By News Room
Finance

The World’s 10 Most Expensive Cities To Live

By News Room
Finance

Biden Sends Student Loan Forgiveness Emails To 800,000 Borrowers

By News Room
Finance

New Student Loan Forgiveness Application For Those With Medical Issues

By News Room
Finance

Who Really Owns Nursing Homes, And How The Feds Are About To Learn More

By News Room
Finance

Gone Are America’s Cushiest Federal Prisons

By News Room
Finance

Can You Still Get Insurance After A Cancer Diagnosis?

By News Room
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Youtube Instagram
Company
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Press Release
  • Contact
  • Advertisement
More Info
  • Newsletter
  • Market Data
  • Credit Cards
  • Videos

Sign Up For Free

Subscribe to our newsletter and don't miss out on our programs, webinars and trainings.

I have read and agree to the terms & conditions
Join Community

2023 © Indepta.com. All Rights Reserved.

YOUR EMAIL HAS BEEN CONFIRMED.
THANK YOU!

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?