LPS:
I truly do empathize with those of you who live in NYC. People underestimate the long-term impact, and I wanted to share this story. My best friend from college lived at 75 West Street, just two blocks south. His wife went to work that morning at St. Vincent's, leaving my friend and their daughter behind (he drives her to their company day care each day). While she was working, her colleagues told her what happened and she looked out the window to the south just as #2 was collapsing, not knowing whether her husband and daughter were safe (she fainted in someone's arms). Fortunately, they had made it into the Holland Tunnel, not knowing the cause of the heavy rumbling. They were forced to relocate for three months, and they returned to their apartment because they love the city, and they felt obligated to support the businesses in the neighborhood. Soon, the area was overrun with vendors hawking grotesque photos and cheap tees, tourists taking "happy" photos in front of the pit, and the whole area turned into a circus. Eventually, my friends decided to move away not because of the tragic attack but because of the aftermath, an environment where they thought they could no longer raise their daughter. I think some people don't realize that Manhattan is also a city with real neighborhoods, not just a commercial center. In any case, I'm glad everything's okay.
WS |
