DAY SEVENTY-THREE:Nov. 22:
Today is Thanksgiving. For those of you who are not Americans and are reading this, let me explain. This is one of America's most important national holidays. For some Americans it is also their favorite holiday, as it is basically nonsectarian. So, here is what Thanksgiving is:
- Almost nobody has to work (I said almost).
- Almost everybody eats turkey (except vegetarians and odd balls).
- Almost everybody watches the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, which marches through the core of Manhattan for about four hours.
- Almost everybody watches NFL football on TV, unless they are busy cooking the feast or driving to the feast.
- Almost everybody burps too much, eats too much, and spends uncomfortable hours with relatives.
This year Thanksgiving has an unusual significance for Americans, especially New Yorkers. Here in Gotham folks feel as if this is a moment to take stock of all they have been through since September 11, in the comfort of friends and family.
Not surprisingly, the 75th annual Macy's Parade was filled with September 11 symbolism. Standing on a float that was a gigantic apple were the Mayor and is top staff. At the Mayor's side stood none other than the manager of the New York Yankees, Mr. Joe Torre. And singing from atop the apple was Daniel Rodriguez of the NYPD. His song? None other than the national anthem. As Officer Rodriguez hit the high notes singing, "that our flag was still there" all cameras went to the Old Glory waving from atop the float, a tattered flag that was found in the rubble of the World Trade Center.
In such iconoclastic moments all we can do is wipe tears from our eyes, take a deep breath and eat more turkey. Beyond the symbolism, what is genuinely offered?
The crowds were thick at the parade, and many said they braved the scene, worried as they were about terrorism, because there were 1,700 police officers on duty along the parade route.
My god, what have we come to?
Perhaps better capturing the mood of the city, the local public broadcasting TV station aired several hours of the lengthy Burn's documentary history of New York City. It is a spectacular opus, with each of the many hours ending on a reflective note, admiring the heterogeneous nature of Gotham's population. But it is hard, indeed, to look at each episode's conclusion, which features a heartbreaking water-shot view of Manhattan, the World Trade Centers towering in the frame.
Does the rest of the country, let alone the rest of the world, realize how deeply we miss those towers? Do they realize the towers, un-beautiful as they were, represented the hopes and dreams of millions of people?
We are alive - for that, on this day of Thanksgiving, we can be happy.
So,
Be well. Stay safe. Stand defiant.
Laurie Garrett
