I have to tell you, US Air doesn’t charge enough for the sightseeing excursion I was on earlier. In mid afternoon, with the reflecting sun glistening on the Atlantic below and a gentle breeze blowing in from the west, with excellent visibility for miles and miles (yes, it was a good day in the big city) we flew into New York from the north, passing directly over downtown Manhattan.
Off to the west, in the harbor, Lady Liberty, a dark silhouette rising above a shimmering sea, stood defiant. Her arm thrust skyward, she broadcast a clear and unequivocal message to any and all Islamist terrorists who might ever contemplate inflicting damage on the citizenry here. Her message: Never again.
Our plane passed directly over the Empire State Building. We were seemingly so close to the tower atop the skyscraper that I felt like I could have reached out and touched it. Almost. The view directly downward at the city’s tallest building (as of September 11, 2001) was enhanced by the attitude of our plane as it banked sharply in the direction of La Guardia. I found myself looking directly down on New York’s most famous building in America’s most expensive piece of real estate.
I craned my neck to catch a glimpse of ground zero where the World Trade Center once stood but our flight path prevented my getting even a glimpse. We had circled and turned northward and it was beyond my field of vision.
About this point in time, just after having passed over a blimp that was hovering above the Flushing Meadows stadium, jammed with US Open tennis spectators, we flew past Shea Stadium where the Mets play. We then crossed over the harbor and came down into LaGuardia.
So now I sit here in a terminal full of people destined for Providence, Charlottesville, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Richmond, Raleigh Durham, Pittsburgh, and parts beyond. Oh, and perhaps even Greensboro. Before dawn if I'm lucky.
