moving on, for those who cannot

By now, the body part counts and the rest of it have become as normal as Traffic And Transit On The Ones - in other words, somehow, it seems like time to go forward. The pigeons have returned to Lower Manhattan, and the bell at St. Paul's across Church Street from the rubble is once again ringing. We are at war, but for now, the city is at peace.

Sunday, September 16, 2001

Early morning in Times Square is always interesting, mostly because the neon never stops, and it all seems a little strange without the usual tourist/street vendor set crowding the streets.

Today was no exception - walking from 42nd Street north, the only sound was that of a marching band searching for a parade, pounding and blowing the Star-Spangled Banner as it moved swiftly, down the eastern side of Broadway.

It was strange - the busy hub seemed more like the Main Street of a small town far away, than the Crossroads of the World.

In the past few days, Times Square has become the ultimate spot in which to put your finger on the pulse of the nation - by now, there is not one building that doesn't have it's sign lit up with some sort of memorial, a flag, a word of hope - the lower electronic ticker on the ABC studio plays an endless stream of email messages sent from all over the world, encouraging the city of New York.

The city of New York, at least that outside of the ever-shrinking Frozen Zone, needed no encouragement today. It was another in the string of beautiful fall days that oddly enough, began on Tuesday and haven't ceased.

On Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, the brunch crowd was out in full force, an army of hungry and war-weary denizens made it's way to the string of breakfast joints along the colorful strip, I made my way to the counter at the Galaxy diner and sipped mimosas with a friend and basked in the normalcy of it all.

Union Square has become rather famous for its gathering of memorials, but each park in the city has one of its own - Central Park no exception. At Columbus Circle, people of all ages draw pictures in colored chalk, pen thoughts on paper, and light candles.

Inside the park, it was the typical Sunday crowd, the usual bunch of rollerbladers and bikers and walkers and sun-worshippers - a jazz quartet was belting it out near the lake where people were paddle boating and sitting in the shade.

In the Ramble, the usual crowd of men looking for action is hanging around in the shelters and sitting in the bushes, lots of people are standing atop the Belvedere Castle, looking down on the Great Lawn, which is filled with beautiful bodies soaking up the last rays of summer.

In other words, business as usual.

At work, the building went on high alert, as the top dog of the National Guard came by to speak to Fox News, whose studios are downstairs. I left the building around 9pm to find the plaza filled with Guardsmen, standing with their arms folded, nodding as I smiled in their direction.

It was strange to see a military presence where smokers and bike messengers usually hold court, and my surprise gave way to a sense of gratefulness.

It is good to know we're being looked out for.

 

Email: davidr@lifeingotham.com

Next Update: 20 September

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