Whew! It’s been a busy week so far. Lot’s of stuff to do. But looking at what we’ve got for the rest of the week, it looks like I might actually get a little down time. Gorgeous suggested I make sure I get some authentic Chicago style pizza while I’m up here. We definitely like our food, us Cree’s.
Another friend suggested I take in the Sears Tower. My first thought was that I’ve seen lots of tall buildings in the four years I lived in New York City. 
Growing up an only child and then going to a military school in the Bronx, I used to enjoy the solitude of heading down to the financial district on the weekends, especially on Sunday mornings. Sometimes I’d go walking down by City Hall or over to the Brooklyn Bridge. I remember there was a book store down there that was often the only thing open in the mornings and was a good spot to get a cup of coffee. It always seemed peaceful to me to be in the heart of a giant city like that with so few people around.
Of course, as I got to thinking about those times I remembered that two of my favorite buildings in NYC are no longer there. The World Trade Center just seemed to me to be a strong place. I remember just being in awe at how massive the twin towers were. Sometimes I would walk right up next to the outside of one of them, lean back looking up. They seemed to curve back over my head, they were so tall and straight.
Going up in them to the observation area on a windy day you could feel the building sway in the wind. It was always cool to look down on the helicopters that were scurrying around the city.
They were a beacon of the NYC skyline as far as I was concerned. I knew the air was clear when I could see the towers from our campus on the other end of the Bronx.
I remember flying up that way one time when I was in the Navy. The view out the cockpit was nothing but a solid cloud layer below us all the way from our base in Florida. Then, there in the distance when the layer ended was the NYC skyline with those two towers standing majestically on watch.
It was my day off work that day when they came crashing down in a pile of concrete, steel, and dust. I watched the whole thing live from my living room in Florida. The next few days were eerie with no contrails in the sky because all flights were grounded.
I’m not here to comment on the state of world affairs, but do think that it is important that we remember some of these events from time to time to keep our perspective on where we stand.
We humans are naturally a forgetful people, especially where our history is concerned. That has been true since ancient times. The word remember occurs in the Bible over 150 times. The first time is when God gives Noah the rainbow as a symbol of hope.
I’m glad I got to see so much of those buildings in their relatively short lives. Those are good memories.
So maybe I will go see the Sears Tower while I’m up here after all.
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