Lunar landing: Craig J. Bruno

Craig J. Bruno, 52, is an attorney in Islip

My father took me on a vacation to California in July 1969, just before I turned 12, and we decided to spend a couple days across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. It was so different - so crowded, with children begging for money and selling gum.

We stayed at a rundown hotel with a bar attached. My father told me that if anything happened to him, I should know that he hid money in the bottom of his shoes.

On the night of July 20, we went to the bar.

It was crowded and loud, the air filled with smoke. I was the only kid there . . . The picture was very poor quality. Then the bar got quiet.

Once Apollo 11 touched down, the peoplein the bar were yelling and congratulating me and my dad. It was as if we were the ones who landed on the moon. We were Americans, and they loved us for it. That's a bit different than being an American abroad now.-