This is so good on so many of levels, I don't know what else to say. The funny thing is, based on the title and an article I read about how staff selects crap about chain restaurants to promote, I clicked in for shits and giggles and instead, I was transported back to 9/11/01 Manhattan where I lived then (and many years before and after) and I find so few on Medium were too, and then other parts of your story that resonate.