World Trade Center

A Dreary Day at Ground Zero I walked down to the World Trade Center site early this morning before work, which I usually do on September 11 if I’m not traveling.  It was raining and still dark out at the time, which made the scene a little more dreary and rushed (no one stopping as long to reflect) than usual.  But something felt different this year that went beyond the weather. Obviously for those who lost friends or family six years ago, the day will always be one of mourning and memory, but for everyone else, though the day is still quite solemn, the vibe and focus seem to be more focused on “next steps” than in past years.  Between…

9/11 Redux:  Deja Senti I’m not sure if Deja Senti is a real phrase in French, but it should be.  It’s at least the grammatical, if not idiomatic equivalent of Deja Vu, but for smells (literally “already smelled”). That’s what it felt like coming home to Tribeca last night, after yesterday’s horrendous fire that destroyed seven abandoned warehouses in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, right across the East River from downtown. It smelled just like it did on 9/11 and for three months afterward while Ground Zero’s rubble and oil tanks were still smoldering and spewing out a constant acrid smell across downtown.  There are some kinds of Deja Senti that are quite pleasant — baking bread, campfires, fresh cut grass, even Elmer’s…