New York, New York
As the aftershocks of Sept. 11 continue to rattle the country, one mightexpect
that Americans would downgrade New York City on their list of most desirable
places to live. Images of a city under siege-its downtown partially in ruins,
its mailrooms possibly contaminated with anthrax-have become nightly fare on
national news broadcasts.
Yet the results of a recent online survey show that
the city has lost
neither its allure nor its status as America’s most compelling place to live.
The survey reports that 24 percent of respondents chose Manhattan’s Upper East
Side as the most desirable place to live-only Malibu, Calif., came out with slightly better numbers, at 25
percent. Next was San Francisco’s Pacific Heights neighborhood, with 18 percent,
followed by Miami’s South Beach and Beverly Hills, Calif., both at 16
percent.
The presence of Manhattan among such cities as Malibu
and Beverly Hills-places of sun and wealth whose appeal lies in their ability
to dull the senses-indicates that New York still exerts a profound pull on the
national consciousness. Indeed, it’s striking that, given the choice between
living alongside Hollywood stars on the beach or living in a city recovering
from the worst terrorist attack in world history, essentially the same number
of Americans would choose the latter as the former. While no one survey can be
definitive, the numbers from Homestore.com, as reported in The Wall Street Journal , suggest that the grace and courage with
which New Yorkers have handled the tragedy have inoculated the city against
what could have been a significant blow to its standing.
While the rest of the country, and the world, regards
the city with a newfound appreciation, the fear of terrorism has temporarily
depressed the tourism and retail industries. A strong effort needs to be made
by the current and incoming administrations to showcase New York to the
international community. One of the city’s greatest selling points, of course,
is its stunning diversity-nearly 40 percent of city residents are
foreign-born-and the ability of so many different races, cultures and religions
to live peaceably side by side, in marked contrast to the strife which is
roiling much of the world at the moment. And it must be noted that New York’s
countless virtues-including the lowest crime rate of any large city in the
U.S.; a concentration of young talent and skills no other city can match; the
headquarters of the world’s most influential financial firms; a collection of
much of the world’s finest art, theater and music; and the deep and abiding
loyalty residents feel for the city-were left intact despite the trauma of
recent events.
As the city wakes up to a new
Mayor, some may feel a sense of
apprehension about the untested and the unknown, especially at a time when the
unknown has seemed to rule our daily lives. But the enduring greatness of New
York has only been confirmed in the weeks since Sept. 11, and it shows no sign
of abating.
The Yankees
The record books will show that the New York Yankees
lost the 2001 World Series in seven games to the Arizona Diamondbacks, a team
that didn’t even exist when the Bronx Bombers won the first of their
remarkable string of world championships in 1996. In fact, the Yankees-then known as the New York Highlanders-were playing
in the American League nine years before Arizona became a state in 1912. Still, statistics from the ’01
Series will paint a dismal picture of the Yankee effort: only 14 runs in seven
games, a terrible team batting average of .183 and an embarrassing 15-2 loss in
Game 6. The keepers of World Series numbers will not be kind to the 2001
Yankees.
But the numbers will have it all wrong.
While there’s no denying that this year’s Series was a
disappointment for Yankee fans, that’s only half the story. Forget the
statistics, and never mind the result of Game 7: These Yankees lifted the
spirits of the city they represent during a difficult, mournful time. They did
it with a combination of grit, elegance and class, reminding us that athletes,
at their best,
transcend the children’s games they are paid to play.
The dusty record books will not
present the 2001 Yankees in the
context of New York after Sept. 11. But, of course, it will be impossible for
us to remember them without thinking of the horrific attack on our city,
without recalling how they drew inspiration from our heroes-the firefighters,
the cops, the rescue workers-and how they, in turn, inspired us in our dark
hour. They represented New York to the nation with pride and dignity.
After Sept. 11, no Yankee would consider himself a
hero-not after we saw the sacrifices that legitimate heroes make. But if they
weren’t
really heroic, surely these Yankees were admirable, and then some. In their
dramatic comeback in the American League divisional series, when they fell
behind the young Oakland Athletics two games to none in the best-of-five set, there was a parable about determination and
fortitude. And, of course, those themes were revisited in Games 4 and 5 of the
World Series, when the Yankees scored the tying runs in the ninth innings and
went on to win in extra innings.
The defeat in Game 7, when Arizona pulled off a
comeback of its own to beat the Yankees 3-2, won’t overshadow all that came
before it. We’ll remember this team for all the thrills it has given us since
1996; we’ll treasure our memories of Paul O’Neill and Tino Martinez and Scott
Brosius, all of whom may be gone next year; and we’ll continue to bask in the
privilege of watching Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte and Roger
Clemens at work.
Thanks, Yanks.
