I spent the morning volunteering at the Bowery Mission. It was a good way to mark the 9/11 anniversary.

My colleagues shared stories. One person knew a friend who went to their first day of work at Cantor Fitzgerald and perished. Another friend survived because she overslept.

I was Bloomberg’s New York Bureau Chief and spent the day directing coverage. I remember standing behind stock market editor Phil Serafino as he wrote the first story.

After the second plane crashed I asked for volunteers to report on the disaster. Tom Cahill had just enough time to get downtown before the first tower came down. Fortunately he wasn’t hurt.

Our offices were on Park Avenue and outside the window we watched as thousands of people walked silently uptown, many covered in dust.

No one at the Bowery Mission today mentioned the anniversary. But as I walked to work I passed a fire station on 51th street. The entire department was outside in dress uniform for a moment of silence.

I paused and waited with them. After the minute had passed the station chief gave the order to be “at ease.”

People were streaming by, seemingly unaware of the drama. It was a reminder of how much time has passed and how the city and country have changed.