New York City Far From Beaten

In “Letter From New York” (by Eric Pape, Feb. 17), Pape describes a city that is depressed, shellshocked and hemorrhaging residents by the bucket load. I’m sorry to contradict his missive of doom and gloom, but nothing could be further from the truth. I live a few miles from the former World Trade Center, and I admit that the first month after Sept. 11 was rough. But things are better now.

I know of one person who left Manhattan after the terrorist attack. He was a British ex-pat, and he had just broken up with his girlfriend and was unemployed. So he probably would have left anyway. Everyone else I know is still living in New York--living and going out to dinners and nightclubs and doing good work and having sex and watching movies and reading books and going for walks in the park and all of the other things that people do who live in dirty and lovely New York City.

New York is a proud city. We’ve endured something of unspeakable horror. And now we’re thriving again. We might occasionally gasp and feel the wind knocked out of us when we recall what happened on Sept. 11, but we’re not whimpering in corners licking our wounds.

Moby

Via the Internet