Day 16- New York, NY to Philadelphia, PA

            It’s transition day for the fellowship and it’s been an adventurous, if not harrowing drive, as I direct my attention to the “big cities” portion of my studies. Only days ago I was driving along the bucolic highways of Maine. Yesterday I was careening along with multitudes of other drivers as I made my way literally across New York City, complete with full-blown construction zones to make things more interesting. I’ve lived in the Chicago area all my life and I don’t mind driving in the downtown zoo in Chicago. However, Chicago’s “crazy” driving is likely just another day of New York’s driving. Driving, like most things in New York, happens in a much grander scale.

            Leaving the New York City area is a process. You have to drive for a very long to time to even begin to think you’ve even left the area. Shipping, shopping, seaports, and speeders are the sure signs that you’re trying your best to “get out of Dodge.” After I left my hotel this morning and was a full hour into my drive, I still felt connected to the urban grind I had left fifty miles back. You simply can’t leave New York. New York does not let you go, you have to be dismissed. I arrived in Philadelphia nine hours ago and only now do I feel like I’m mentally away from the city that is the epitome of all things American.

            During my twenty-four hour stopover, I came up with a short list of things I’d like to do in New York next time I’m in town. These items are: 9/11 Memorial, Intrepid Museum (see the Space Shuttle on display!), MOMA, dinner in Little Italy, Statue of Liberty, and Ellis Island. There are other things, too, but this is the short list.

            Besides the challenging driving, the obstacle I had to face on my trip to New York was my feelings about the New York City in the post 9/11 era. 9/11 shook my family to its core as my wife frequently worked in the World Trade Centers until Monday, September 10, 2001. Fears and insecurities that I felt back in 2001 as we watched and waited for another attack came back like a recurring nightmare that hits you in a vulnerable part of your psyche. 9/11 changed everything in our country and as a teacher I believe that the importance of knowing about 9/11 focuses on the years prior to the attack and the American response that followed. My short visit to New York City gave me a glimpse at how New Yorkers might have felt and responded to the terrorist attacks.

            When America absorbed the depth, breadth, and meaning of the attacks, it had to pull itself back up by its bootstraps. For better or for worse, our country demonstrates time and time again that resilience and tenacity are the guiding spirits of who we are within the American identity.

Hmmm, do you think that the Founding Fathers felt the same way about their country when they faced external threats?

Thanks for joining me today…~ Mr. K.