New York is Again Ground Zero. And Again, Americans are all New Yorkers.

[TygrBright]

(With the obvious exception of that Orange Florida Man, of course.)

I'm remembering some of my 9/11 thoughts about "Why New York?"

To a lot of people, New York is quintessentially America. Big and diverse, full of life and creativity, commerce and innovation, wheeling and dealing, entertainment and fashion.

Tourists go there. People looking for excitement and variety go there. People looking for opportunity go there. People looking for a stage to perform on, people looking for a stage to watch.

New York is to the vast narrative of America as "Hamlet" is to English literature... it's "full of quotes". Stuff everyone knows. The punchlines of the jokes, the accents, the Five Boroughs, the pols, the parks, the glitter and the grit.

Yeah, some of us want no part of the hustle and the bustle, but we love to look on from afar, we love to tune in on New Year's Eve and enjoy Times Square, or watch the late night shows with their quintessential New York datelines. We're proud of it, proud that the world comes to New York for business, for diplomacy, for entertainment, for inspiration.

Some of us grumble that America isn't like that, not at all, really... the "heartland" is bigger, yanno, has more people... just because those New Yorkers get all the attention, doesn't mean they speak for all of us. Some of us paint New York as the Great Babylon, the seat of All That is Wrong with Godless America... but there's probably more than a little protesting too much in that trope, too.

New York isn't the heartland, for sure.

But as I felt after 9/11, it is America's big, beating, lively, perhaps a bit hypertensive, but vital and all-embracing heart.

I remember that feeling, after 9/11... a sort of awed and proud and sorrowful discovery, as if the blow had landed in a place I'd never realized the importance of, to me, personally.

New York, New York... again the epicenter of an American disaster, again brought on not so much by its own big, brash Obvious Target status as by the incompetence and uncaring folly of greedy fools in Washington.

Just want you to know, Manhattan. Just want you to know, Queens, Staten Island. Just want the Bronx to know, and Brooklyn...

I love you. You matter to me. I gotcher back. You're my peeps.

The lights of Broadway and Times Square may be dimmed for now, the streets no longer a-bustle as you fight for survival.

But you are still that big, bright splotch on my mental map of America.

My heart is with you.

Keep fighting.

Your fight is our fight.

Live, dammit.

determinedly,
Bright

[marybourg]

1. Very nice!

[crickets]

2. Right there with you and NY, TygrBright.

[TygrBright]

4. Thanks. n/t

[Amaryllis]

3. You made me cry. YOu are so right. Love you, NY.

[Retrograde]

5. West Coast view here

You remember us - those people out in the boonies who got the virus first and put measures in place to prevent its spread while New York was still dithering. It's a big impact on you - as it is on us. But we don't have the major media focusing on us 24 hours a day and so have to simply go about living as best we can. As we start our 3rd week of lockdown tomorrow we wish you (and everyone else in the country) well and hope we can get through this with a minimum of losses, but New York City is not only place affected.

[Raine]

7. Californian here ... EXACTLY! 👍

[lostnfound]

8. New York and California, in the same boat

Somehow in the last 19 years, a lot of people in trump base have been taught to demonize and distance you. Last year it was the stupid comments about California in the midst of their tragic fires. This year it’s the stupid attitudes about wanting to quarantine the whole state of New York.
What part of “United States” are they missing?

Both are Crown Jewels populated by some of the bravest dreamers, over the centuries..

[crickets]

13. The LA area was my home for 16 years. I miss it and worry about everyone there.

You are not forgotten.

[bdamomma]

20. California

I love your state, it's a diverse beautiful place, your Governor Newsom is at the helm, stay safe.

We are in this all together worldwide.

[smirkymonkey]

6. Thank you for your "Ode to NYC".

I am now a Bostonian, but was a New Yorker for 12 years and grew up in upstate NY. I loved the city, there is nothing like it anywhere.

I remember days when I would just stop and look around and think to myself "I can't believe I live here". It was an amazing experience and even though it got to be a bit exhausting and stressful after a while, I will always love it. It's like a love affair that was wild and passionate, but that just was too draining to be sustainable.

I will always believe that New York is the heart and soul of America.

[scarletlib]

9. Hang in there New York.

To quote Hamilton “The greatest city in the world”.

[ChazII]

10. TygreBright, thank you

for your eloquent words. You expressed my feelings far better than I ever could.

I am one of those who doesn't want the hustle and bustle but when 9/11/01 happened I felt like I had been punched in the stomach. The same is true today in 2020. New York's fight is our fight. The same holds true for all of our cities.

[VWolf]

11. Thank you so much for this

I live just outside Manhattan

[Hekate]

12. What you said, Bright

[Hekate]

22. Welcome to DU, HotTeaBag

Enjoy your stay

[lindysalsagal]

15. New York State of Mind

[lucca18]

16. As someone born and raised in New York, and now living in the San Francisco Bay Area,

I thank you for this post!
Be well and stay safe.

[BigmanPigman]

17. To quote JFK, "Ich bin ein Berliner".

I am a New Yorker!

I was a New Yorker, now a Californian, STILL AN AMERICAN! We are all supposed to be Americans, aren't we?
FUCK TRUMP!

[bdamomma]

18. Very nice

post.

I love NY, and we are NY'ers now.

I want see tRump pay for this.

[Nitram]

19. We are Washingtonians, New Yorkers, New Jerseyites, Michiganites, Floridians, etc, etc.

Let's not look at the U.S. according to the famous New Yorker cover. We're all in this together.

[bdamomma]

21. We are

all Americans.

We will hopefully change all this.

And our worldwide friends we are all in this together.

[radius777]

23. Let's hear it for New York.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Count on New York
These streets will make you feel brand new
Big lights will inspire you
Let's hear it for New York

[Progressive Jones]

24. Much Love To NYC From Chicago! nt