17 september 2001 -
23 september 2001
 
 
 
 
     
20 september 2001
 

Today is all about wishes and commands. Laine asked me, "one of the most self-effacing people that [she] know[s]", to post the following few paragraphs that she wrote yesterday. A wish I'm more than happy to grant with a big smile on my face and so much warmth in my heart.

Thank you, Laine.

 
 
19 september 2001
 

I am sure many of you read the whirlygirl entry on September 14 and thought, "Is she insane? Why is she driving to New York during one of the most tumultuous weeks in American history?" As I said to her almost instantly when she offered-- and, I will admit, accepted before she had even finished her sentence-- to visit, "I am sure this will make your parents thrilled, as you travel from the frying pan into the fire." I knew it probably wasn't the best decision, but I can't even begin to express how grateful I am to her for thinking it was the right decision.

So, I wanted to assure you that she wasn't crazy. She was just another example of how brave and selfless people can be in times of need and tragedy. And I wanted to thank her and celebrate her amazing spirit and generosity with the people who know her best-- each of you. She wouldn't want to admit how profound of a gesture it was for her drive up here for 24 hours of friendship and comfort and conversation. But, I know how hard it is to take those steps into the sometimes-scary world, let alone drive up into the heart of it. My deepest appreciation.

-- tracy laine

 
 
18 september 2001
 

I went to New York City for the first time when I was seven. From that trip I can still remember the sound of the flags flapping in the wind at Rockefeller Center, the chicken wire atop the Empire State Building, the neon gaudiness juxtaposed with a blackened ocean at Coney Island. I remember climbing into the foot of the Statue of Liberty and watching the Fourth of July fireworks from atop an apartment in Greenwich Village.

From that point forward, New York, to me, was magic.

I'm constantly amazed at the tiny little corners of the city that open up to me upon each visit. A neighborhood bar here. A new place for brunch there. A tiny paper store. A gallery. A plate of exotic sorbets. Toast at a diner. The mosaic tiles at Grant's tomb. The light pouring through the windows of the Frick Collection at dusk in winter. The blood red carpet of a fortune teller's apartment on the Upper West Side.

The last time I saw the World Trade Center Towers was in July before Todd and Hayley's wedding. I had picked up Laine at her apartment on the Upper West Side and the two of us drove South on the West Side Highway to go to brunch at Tom's Diner. With the top down, we looked up to witness their looming, steely frames literally scraping the sky. On Saturday, driving North on the New Jersey Turnpike, I saw the smoke that has become commonplace over the course of a week. And though I was not standing, I could feel my knees buckle.

Laine and I took the Subway down to Union Square at 14th Street on Saturday night to see the memorials. The banners. The signs. The candles. A men's choir sang "New York, New York". An endless stream of people took photographs and shot video. There were flyers and postcards and flowers every single place you stepped. We stopped to read the phrases of sorrow and anger and inspiration and patriotism on one massive banner laid out on the concrete at our feet. Pens were scattered all around encouraging us to add our own marks, our own thoughts. Laine leaned over to write: "Remembering Together." As I knelt, I couldn't feel anything. I was at a loss.

Then I suddenly remembered being in that very spot with LA Michael nearly a year ago. His instant infatuation with all things New York. How dark and quiet and cold the city was that night. Our dinner with Laine and Jeff, a taxi ride to Times Square. The blending of so many moments during so many different visits came flooding into my head. And I was left thinking of only one thing to write:

And now, more than ever, it's really that simple.

 
 
2001:09:20:15:47
2001:09:19:16:42
2001:09:18:18:23
 
 
20 september 2001
18 september 2001