I Still Love You, New York

As fate would have it, bombs fell on the night before the opening of the CCCCs in Manhattan. The following day, one could not help but note the strong presence of U.S. Military personnel throughout Times Square, patrolling the subways, keeping watch. I am absolutely grateful for the protection these people offer, but I wonder whether we will ever again experience New York without the shadow of attack hovering over the city. My first visits to New York as a teenager were characterized by almost limitless freedom. Nobody was about to stop you from doing anything, and this was not entirely positive, but it was thrilling. Now this spectacular urban landscape is marked by fear. As I watch our various wars unfold, it is hard for me to envision a point somewhere in the future where New York will not feel that it faces the possibility of attack.