Remembering
I went to High School in a building on Chambers and West Street. My commute took me to the A/C/E train stop on Church and Chambers and the last five minutes were a walk across Chambers. The intersection of Chambers and West Broadway revealed an empty stretch of space down the avenue to the World Trade Center, putting them in perfect, full view. They soared over TriBeCa like a lighthouse on the shore. When I commuted in the dark during early mornings or late afternoons they lit up the sky. They had an undeniable presence that really held that part of the city together.
I spent the afternoon of September 11th in front of a TV in my dorm room. I was about 6 miles north of Ground Zero but the skies were filled with smoke and carried a burning smell reminiscent of Auchwitz, and for the same reason.
In the weeks and months that followed, New York City turned momentarily and indiscriminately nice. Cars stopped honking. People weren’t as pushy. We abandoned the New York City mindset, if only for a little while. Everyone was touched by the attack in some way. A friend of mine lost his uncle and cousin. An employee of my father’s lost some people too. The city was visibly wounded, and we still are.
