Traveling the US .

by Frank Matowitz

Hey, what's up everyone?  For those of you who do not know much about this show it is based on cable access in the Tampa Bay area.  I not only air the show on TV here but make it available on the Internet, frankly, because I can. I do this to build skills that I market to clients and to hopefully climb the ladder in the entertainment industry.

I tell you that so you understand that we do this for free.  Actually it costs me to do this, I don't make money off it and the women and others do it for free to get experience and get material for audition tapes.  I can't make money because we are based on a cable access show and that is one of the rules. 

So everyone involved with this has other jobs.  One of mine is that I travel the US selling computer diagnostics and disaster recovery software as a fund raiser for SCLS.  You know those shows that come to an area arena and advertise on TV that there is a "blow out computer sale this weekend only at (insert arena here)." I sell a compilation CD ROM that is all the software you NEED to buy for your computer. Things like security to protect you from hackers and viruses. Utilities to maintain your computer so it runs right. Even a complete disaster recovery suite an $1100 valuse for less than $250. www.secondchancelifeskills.org

OK, so in doing that I have been going to some really cool places and meeting a lot of people.  Hopefully some of you reading this, and that is what this is about.

On the weekend before 9/11 ( 9/04/04 ) I was in Long Island , NY and I drove into New York City and visited Ground Zero.  To give you proper perspective I was in a rental car and it was the first time I had driven in Manhattan .  If you have never done that or actually been to New York City it is a trip.  You MUST do it.  Every TV show and movie I see now has a completely different flavor that is shot in NYC.

So I'm driving lost around the southern end of the island in total confusion and I finally find it.  I felt really weird about the whole thing but fortunately I find a parking space on a street just a block away.  Of course I drag my camera equipment around; I either look like the geekiest tourist or an independent film maker.

I didn't know where I was going and started to walk directly into the area where I was quickly met by one of NYC's finest and a construction worker who informed me that I was in a restricted area.  They directed me to a walkway where I can view the area.

As I was walking up the concrete walkway I couldn't help but see the images in my mind of the buildings burning and falling.  The chaos that we all watched on TV happened right where I was standing.  This was the area that was covered in dust and debris.

As I rounded the corner and came to an area where you can overlook the site it was chilling.  In all of the other areas of NYC it is very busy and noisy but here it is very quiet.  To be honest, as I stood there I could not help but be over come by enormity of what had happened here.  What I witnessed on TV; what we all witnessed.

I snapped a few pictures and shot a little video, paid my respects and left.  As I walked back to the car I could imagine that these buildings were the ones plastered with all the pictures we saw on TV of all the lost loved ones.  I can't imagine the pain this city must have been in.

I then got in the car and drove through Tribeca.  This is the area just north of where the towers stood.  At some point I really want to return there to photograph and video.  The sidewalks were filled with people and everywhere there are sidewalk café’s. It is just busy with life in the area of such pain.

I'm going to post a few images and keep you up on what is going on.