July 22, 2015

New York, NY. June, 2015


When I was growing up in Springfield, NJ, way back when, you could see the New York City skyline from the top of our hill. I saw it first without the World Trade Center, then watched the twin towers being built. On a visit home years later, I saw it again without the towers. When I was in NYC recently, my friend Nick encouraged me to go to see the memorial to 9-11 at Ground Zero. I had avoided any visit, figuring the scene would be heavily touristed and a cheap, commercial exploitation of the events. I was wrong. I was moved beyond description. Here is one of the two identical reflecting pools, each occupying the footprint of the original towers. You can see from the size of the people just how monumental these sites are. Streams of water cascade down the sides, gather below, then disappear into a center pit whose bottom is unseen. The message is clear. (Go to YouTube for more.)

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