A Massive Hole in the Ground, but Plenty of Heart to Fill it
by Ryan - September 11th, 2006 9:55 am
It’s just not possible to ignore the magnitude of this day when one works a few blocks north of what we used to know as the twin towers and world trade center… and as all inhabitants of downtown Manhattan and the surrounding areas, I continue forward with my life. But I do so on a somber note… it’s not easy having an every day reminder of complete vulnerability. Times are scary… times are sad.
Take the subway or PATH train to the WTC and you’ll see what I mean. This hub used to be completely underground. I could walk multiple city blocks without ever seeing daylight pre-9/11. Today, both the subway and the PATH are completely exposed to daylight. One might ask, “what’s wrong with that, a little daylight in your life?” But all it takes is a quick look around you to see the massive hole in the heart of the city to understand. There’s nothing there. absolutely nothing… I’m supposed to be 5 or 6 stories beneath the streets and sidewalks, yet I see the sky and the clouds.
5 years later, this hole in the ground looks bigger than ever. Granted, some wonderful development has occurred. Mass transit at ground zero has been completely restored, which is amazing. Tower 7 has been rebuilt and is currently at 60% occupancy, which is very encouraging for business and also pretty amazing. And downtown Manhattan is becoming a popular residential location as opposed to a work only location. So things ARE moving ahead…
But I just can’t get over that huge hole in the ground I still see every day. It’s a constant reminder that we are a target. That each and every day I need to be aware of my surroundings on the subway, on the street, everywhere… That each and everyday I wake up, something like this could happen again. If I take a look at the news and believe the popular opinions (or even simply listen to my own instincts), something will happen again… eventually. Life becomes more an issue of being in the wrong place at the wrong time when living under such circumstances, which makes one feel virtually helpless. But there is nothing that can be done about that, not in the immediate future anyway.
So if it’s just a matter of time, why stay? To be honest, I don’t know. What I do know is, I’m not leaving… Not for those reasons, no way. It’s not like NYC was a blanket of security to begin with. But in order to fill that massive hole in the ground that haunts us on a daily basis, we need to stay put… build businesses… build life… and help the community move on to bigger and better things.
Therefore, it’s with a heavy heart that I (and we at ECP) send my regards to all affected on that very sad and scary day… As the wound in our island heals and new structures grow from this abyss, the world will begin to see again the true heart of this city, as it once was…
tecnorati tags: september 11 | september 11th | 9/11 | wtc | world trade center | nyc
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