Nicole Shares Sobering Story Of Being In New York City On 9/11

It's still hard to wrap your brain around the fact it's been 22 years since 9/11.  It's still hard for me to wrap my brain around the fact that I was in NYC on 9/11.  I wanted to share my story, it's important to never forget.  September 11, 2001, was the first day of my internship at Epic Records in NYC.  I was beyond excited.  I felt like “I made it.”  I was about to work at one of the biggest record labels in New York City!  I was a student at Drexel and was living in Park Town Place in Philly near the Art Museum.  I remember what I was wearing - a long sheer floral top, with black pants, and a black cami underneath.  I walked from Park Town to 30th Street Station, and because I couldn’t afford Amtrak (the internship wasn’t paid and I don’t have rich parents) I had to take SETPA to Trenton, switch trains, and take NJ Transit to Penn Station.  I was supposed to get on the 6:37a train to Trenton, but was confused and ended up missing it, so I got on the 6:50 a.m. train instead.

I got to Trenton and hopped on the 7:37a to Penn Station.  At some point, people’s phones started ringing and there was a panic.  I heard someone say terrorism and Osama Bin Laden, but I honestly was completely ignorant and had never even heard the name before.  I was sitting at the window on the right side of the train and I looked out and saw the Towers on fire. The man next to me leaned over and said “I work on the 84th floor. I overslept today.”  By the time we pulled into Penn Station, I still had no idea what was happening.  I thought about turning around and going back to Philly, but I didn’t want to seem like a bad employee, so I got off the train and headed out of Penn Station.  Epic was in the Sony Building at 55th & Madison, I didn’t know how to use the subway yet so I hailed a cab. The cabbie had the radio on and as we drove uptown from Penn Station, we heard the Towers collapsed.  The city was dark, debris was falling even though we were over 30 blocks from Ground Zero.  I finally made it to Epic and went to the 22nd floor.  As soon I got there, I said, “I made it!” and one of the assistants, Jordan, looked at me and said, “Get home, get home as fast as you can.”  Obviously, I had no idea what to do.  Let me add I had a pre-paid cell phone at the time that had 5 mins left.  So I left the building and started walking the 30+ blocks back to Penn Station. 

I figured that was the best chance to make it home.  I remember walking with two women with strollers at one point and then finally was at Penn Station.  It was closed.  So I just sat there.  The lines for the pay phones were blocks and blocks long.  A moment like that is strange because your body goes into survival mode because it’s paralyzed by fear.  I had no water, no food, and never had to go to the bathroom.  At one point I met a woman who randomly also worked at Sony, I wish I could remember her name, and she told me to stay with her until the open Penn Station, and once they do, just look for a sign for Trenton.  By the grace of God, Penn Station opened for two hours around 3p.  To try and explain what it looked it inside would be too mild.  It was the most insane amount of people I’ve ever seen in one space, shoulder to shoulder, terrified.  I finally went to the platform and every car was filled until the last one there was a small space, and I jumped in and the train door closed.  I got to Trenton, switched trains, and finally as I was on the train back to Philly around 5p I finally had service and was able to use my pre-paid to call home.  I’ll never forget when my parents answered the phone and started crying because they literally had no idea where I was.  It’s never lost on me that it was a miracle I made it home by 6 p.m., and that so many people did not.  ❤️🇺🇸

I usually never shut up, HA, but in case you don't follow me on the socials or catch me on air everyday, I thought I'd share a few fun facts about myself!

Yep! I was on the hit NBC reality show "The Biggest Loser" back in 2007. It was one of the best experiences of my life, even though it turned out to not be the best for our mental and physical well-being, I met some of the best people and had a blast.

I interned for Epic Records in NYC in 2001. I used to take the train from Philly to NYC three times a week. Epic was Michael's record label during that time and he came into the office for a meeting.  I had no idea he was going to be there and it was a total shock.   If you ever meet me, definitely ask me to tell you the story, because it's pretty wild.

As I mentioned above, I interned for Epic Records in NYC in 2001.  September 11, 2001 was my first day.  I had to take the train from 30th street in Philly to Penn Station in NYC and then make my way up to the Sony Building at 55th & Madison which was where Epic was located.  I was on the train from Trenton to Penn Station when I looked out the window and saw the first tower on fire.  Sometimes I still can't believe it's real.

I wrote about my entire experience for the 20th anniversary.

I know this sounds insane, but I have really long and thick hair, so I get a blowout at Blo/Out Blow Dry Bar once a week.  Think about back in the day how our grandmothers would go to the salon to get their hair set?  It's the same thing, although mine is with a blow-dyer.  Ha!  I'm really lucky and can go at least 7-10 days without washing my hair.

I call it "My Bunting" and I had it since I was brought home from the hospital.  And yes, I wash it.  Ha!

It's still crazy this is real.  Ha.  After I graduated from Drexel, I moved to Dallas to work as the Assistant Promotions Director at 1061KISS FM.  My old boss, who was my mentor, moved there and hired me.  I hated promotions and being in Dallas, but I'm glad I did it.

High School might be a while ago, but this is still one of my proudest moments.  I loved it and I always think about how I might want to run for real office one day.  (Only if I had my own millions).  I also did the morning announcements and was voted Most Spirited.  Go figure, right?  Ha!  Always loved a microphone.

Or peaches, plums, pears, cherries, nectarines.  It's called a Birch Pollen allergy.  The good news is when it's cooked, it's okay to eat because it changes the enzymes.  Sometimes I'll get an apple, cut it up, then sauté it to cook off the enzymes.  But I can never just buy an apple (peach, pear, etc) from the story and take a bite.  :(

Yep, I went on The Biggest Loser and lost weight and my two front teeth!  I was doing a challenge and after it was over we were allowed to swim.  I was so excited that I didn't think anything of it when I dove into the pool while standing on the "NO DIVING" sign.  I dove in and CLUNK CLUNK I hit my chin and knock out my teeth!  I am so grateful nothing else happened.  I could have been extremely hurt!  I had to get rushed to the dentist the next day and have two fake front teeth every since.

Scroll to 20:00 mark.  You can see it all unfold.

They aren't made just yet, BUT I have written around 8 scripts that I hope to have made one day.  My goal is Hallmark, but I honestly would love to sell to Lifetime, Netflix, UpTV, or GAFamily.

I didn't write "Love on the Slopes," but it's my favorite Hallmark movie of all time!