Each
year for Cheryll’s birthday, I take her on the Magical Mystery Tour. I secretly arrange a weekend trip, and she
doesn’t know the destination until we get there. In August I booked a trip to New York City. We had made a similar trip a few years
ago. We saw some Broadway shows and
visited Ellis Island. We had fun and
decided to come back again some day.
Then
came September 11th.
A
few days after the tragedy, I told Cheryll of the destination. I didn’t think it would be fair to bring her
to Manhattan and then say, “Surprise!”
We thought about it for a few days and decided that if nothing further
happened, we would go anyway. Lots of
tourists were cancelling, and the rate of our room was lowered from $200/night
to $150/night.
At
Detroit Metro airport there was no problem, although we had our ID checked four
different times; at check-in, security, the gate and again upon boarding. Security was more thorough, but only took a
few minutes. I left my penknife at
home, and Cheryll took the manicure scissors out of her toilet kit. The National Guard was armed and present,
but looked bored. One man was required
top take off his work boots and have them x-rayed. We checked no bags, and just brought carry-ons. Our flight out was uneventful, and we
arrived a little early. The pilot said
that Laguardia Airport is much less congested and the old schedules allowed for
more delays. It was a short cab ride
into Manhattan. There was armed
security at the midtown tunnel, but things were otherwise normal. We checked into our hotel which is eight
blocks from Times Square, but otherwise unremarkable, and headed to the TKTS
booth for Broadway Theater tickets. We
were able to buy half-price front row mezzanine tickets for that evening’s
performance of Les Miserables. I think
we lucked out as the theater was full.
Near the theater was a trailer holding the new and as yet uninstalled
bronze fireman statue we’d seen on the news.
Lots of tourists were snapping pictures and leaving flowers. The street vendors had no shortage of
American flag merchandise for sale.
There were pins, t-shirts, scarves, sweaters, hats and paintings. We could see no signs that the theater business
was hurting, although we paid only half price for all of our show tickets that
weekend.
On
Saturday, we went to some more shows and visited the top of the Empire State
Building. We had to pass through metal
detectors to get into the building and a security guard checked our ID. I can’t for the life of me figure out what
checking my ID proved or could prevent.
It was a clear, cold windy day and the visibility was good from the
top. There was a small cloud of dust
and smoke coming from the spot three miles distant where the World Trade Center
had until recently stood. We also went
on a Disney type tourist attraction called “Skyride”. They put you in cars mounted on hydraulic shakers and simulate
flying you around the city. They have
not edited out the part where they fly straight at the World Trade Center and
then bank and turn away at the last second.
On
Sunday, the work stopped for a day at ground zero to have a memorial service
for the immediate families of the victims.
We decided to walk the four miles downtown to have a first-hand look at
the devastation. We walked the
perimeter of the area which has about a one-mile diameter. We got within about a block of the damage in
most sections. The police were
stationed at various locations along the recently constructed fence. There was a little smoke and they were pouring
water on that. Otherwise, the recovery work had halted for the day. The center section was rubble, and enough
had been removed so that it was basically level with the ground. They’ll still
be excavating the basement levels for a while I suppose. Standing next to the hole in the skyline
was a surreal experience. Several nearby buildings were damaged beyond repair
and will also have to be brought down.
It was eerie to see the metal beams sticking out the sides looking more
like tree branches than building structure.
Beyond that, several buildings had minor damage, blown out windows,
damaged facades, and such. There was
some dust and smoke blowing around and the windows on the nearby buildings were
filthy. The street sweepers seemed to
come by every hour or so. The fence
that now surrounds the site is home to countless memorials, banners, flowers,
teddy bears, letters to the victims, and many missing persons ads. It was very somber, and the normally
boisterous New Yorkers were hushed.
The
flight home was similarly uneventful and we arrived home early. As good patriots, it was our obligation to
help the economy. You too should go and
spend money, lots of money.