Labor Day Parade, rest in peace, Bob Marley
Long live the king, yo, I'm from the Empire State that's
In New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made, oh
These streets will make you feel brand new
New York, New York
-Empire State of Mind, Jay-Z
. . .
New York is like no other. A city with just the right mix of size, couth, style and savvy. New York can change you.
Strolling towards Wall Street, I happened upon the World Trade Center reconstruction site.
Manhattan's brawny shoulders support the world\\'s financial heart. And its foremost theater district. It is a cosmopolitan, cultural Mecca. And a helluva sports town.
He is charitably inclined. Dynamic. Comfortable in all situations. Men love him. Women want to be around him.
So, back to Thursday.
The scene teemed with life. Bravado. Enthusiasm. Imagine a drama in which the protagonists forge steel, glass and design in a way that defies physics. That culminates in a cloud piercing monument to fortitude.
The site appears as a masterpiece of forward-looking design. Anchored by its reputable centerpiece--the Freedom Tower, all three of the site\\'s buildings have taken shape. The center tower already looms large from vantage points like Jersey City and Weehawken.
On the sidewalks further down Vesey Street are bronze commemorations of the heroes and victims from that fateful day. Ten years ago.
The other aspect? The city's resilience. Having been bashed and bloodied, only to rise, dust off, honor its fallen, and then rebuild in a fashion that is bigger and more robust than her enemies could have imagined.
And yet.
Demoralizing. If you happen to be a terrorist.
Regardless the hardhip, New York will never back down. Pity? Apathy? You are not welcome there.
While doing so, I passed Trinity Church Cemetery. In this peaceful little cemetery, a few blocks from the Freedom Tower, lay the final resting site of Alexander Hamilton, that most unique and brilliant of men. A founding father. And a New Yorker.
The world's capital, New York City.