Henri and Remi, the two French guys staying in the apartment this week and next, wanted to watch my “CNN Remembers” documentary video about 9/11 this evening, so we did. Naturally, one of the scenes it showed was the famous video by Jules and Gedeon Naudet of the first plane hitting the first tower, the only video in existence of that initial impact.

I’ve seen that clip plenty of times before — but when I watched it tonight, it was like seeing it with new eyes. With a sudden jolt in my stomach, I recognized the very spot where the cameraman was standing: on Church Street in Tribeca, about two blocks north of where I now work. I recognized it because of the AT&T building on the right-hand side of the screen — the large, distinctive building right next to the subway exit that I emerge from every morning.

This page confirms: the video was shot at the corner of Church and Lispenard, two and a half blocks north of the front entrance of my workplace. If I were to watch the video closely, I would probably be able to spot the 18-story building where I work. It would be on the left-hand side of the screen for a split second before the cameraman zooms in on the plane impact.

What struck me immediately about the video was how immense the Twin Towers appeared from that location. Of course I should have realized this, but somehow, looking south from my office to the vacant spot where the WTC once stood, I didn’t picture them as that big, that close by. But they were close — they practically filled the whole sky.

It must have been an incredible view from my office before 9/11 — and a horrible view on 9/11.

Wow.