A seemingly routine business trip to New York on Sept. 11 was terrifyingly interrupted for one UCLA alumnus.

Peter J. Taylor, senior vice president for Lehman Brothers, Inc., in Los Angeles, arrived early at his Manhattan office on the 20th floor of the American Express Building, directly across the street from the World Trade Center.

At 8:45 a.m., he was on the phone with a colleague who worked on the other side of the building when suddenly the caller cried, "Oh my God! A plane just hit the World Trade Center!"

Taylor ran to the other side of the building to see. "I couldn't believe this gaping hole in the middle of the trade center, with fire pouring out," he exclaimed. "It was astounding to see so many people jump to their deaths."

He tried calling a colleague and clients at their hotel - the 22-story Marriott World Trade Center, sandwiched between the twin towers. The hotel, where Taylor also was staying, was later destroyed. After searching for them unsuccessfully, he returned to his office when the second hijacked plane hit.

Taylor set off on foot to find them and was about two blocks away when the first tower fell. "When the second tower came down, I had a clear view," he said. "It's a paralyzing thing to watch a 110-story building fall down."

He ended up walking five miles to his sister's office in midtown Manhattan. On Wednesday, Taylor found his colleague and clients. By Thursday, the group was headed home to California.

"I ache every time I hear the stories of people who lost folks close to them," said Taylor, who is president-elect of the UCLA Foundation and a former Alumni Association president. "And I'm thankful because I know how close it came to being me. You know, that's one more lesson: You'd better appreciate every day you've got."