From San Diego to New York City in 4 1/2 minutes. Filmed 3 weeks before 9/11

In 2001, we moved from San Diego to New York City. We arrived in NYC on 8/22/01, and were able to see the World Trade Center towers miles away in New Jersey as we got closer.

We made the trip by traveling in a rented Volvo along the following route: we started in the Mission Valley area of San Diego, traveling north briefly on CA-163, merging with I-15. In Utah, we joined I-70 east and drove to Denver and I-76, which becomes I-80 in Nebraska. Once in Illinois, we picked up I-88 to Chicago to visit family, then continued back on I-80 all the way to New Jersey where we eventually found our way to the Holland tunnel and on to our new home in the West Village.

During this 4 minute 25 second film, I included some interesting coincidences that related to 9/11 - first, a billboard for the MCAS Miramar Airshow that was canceled due to security concerns, a sign promoting the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which held greater meaning because of the attacks, and a welcome sign for Pennsylvania noting Tom Ridge as the governor, who became the Secratary of the DHS following its creation.

This video was shot on a Sony Digital-8 camcorder, and edited on Final Cut Pro. I made it as part of a larger project featuring my first-hand 9/11 footage. I hadn't developed any skill as a filmmaker when I shot this, so I apologize for some shakiness and over-zooming.

Here is the itinerary:
Start: San Diego, California (old home)
Night 1: Cedar City, Utah (hotel)
Night 2: Golden, Colorado (hotel)
Night 3: Lincoln, Nebraska (hotel)
Night 4: Des Moines, Iowa (visiting family)
Night 5: Chicago, Illinois (visiting family)
Night 6: DuBois, Pennsylvania (hotel)
Night 7: New York, New York (new home)

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• world trade center
• new York
• driving trip
• cross country
• america
• 9/11
• NYC
• new york city
• drive
• time-lapse
• interstate
• i-80
• interstate 80
• September 11th
• WTC
• twin towers

[gmt921]

I moved from CA to PA a month earlier and my first visit to NYC was the weekend of August 17-19. Never went up into the Twin Towers :( So hard to believe they would be gone within a month!

[650ChicagoBearsFan]

@gmt921 The weekend before 9/11 we debated about going to have a drink up at Windows On the World, but at the last minute changed plans, figuring we could just do it anytime. I did get to visit the observation deck back 1997 though. Amazing view.

[wentsurfing]

Thanks for uploading! Do you guys miss San Diego at all? (I live up in OC.)

[650ChicagoBearsFan]

@wentsurfing Most definitely. We actually moved back to California, but live up in the Bay Area now. I'll tell you though that it is certainly a kick in the groin to go from San Diego to New York City, and the first few weeks in the Big Apple were pretty tough. I missed the ocean breeze, the palm trees, and of course the Santana's California Burritos with carne asada and french fries.

New York is great of course, but it takes getting used to. In the summer, it smells like garbage and urine!

[guy2008rules]

You stayed in how many hotels?

[650ChicagoBearsFan]

@guy2008rules I just updated the video description to show the exact itinerary, but we stayed in 4 hotels, and spent 2 nights with family. If we didn't have family to visit, we might have shaved off a day, because we ended up with 2 short driving days.

[kj762aa]

Chicago! Iowa! legit.

[guy2008rules]

@650ChicagoBearsFan, wow and it took you several days to get to new york?

[guy2008rules]

Wow!