I know I speak on behalf of all my colleagues in New York City, when I
express my gratitude for all of your expressions of concern and good wishes.
As Ted said in his message, we assume that all of our colleagues here are
fine, but it is still sometimes difficult to get information. What I can do
is to let you know what things are like, based on the experiences of our
large staff here at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Now that we are back at work we are beginning to hear the stories from
friends and friends of friends. There are stories of those who escaped from
the World Trade Tower, who work there but called in sick that day, of the
one who had a doctor's appointment and was late getting to work so got there
after the explosions. We are hearing from friends who saw the crash. We
are hearing how everyone got home on Tuesday. We have an 81-year-old
volunteer who walked across the Queensboro bridge to get home. We've heard
about the commutes that took three hours, and the extra walking that many of
us did, but we are all fine.
There are still some disruptions on the subways, but things are beginning to
return to normal. The big question is what will be normal in the future?
We know that extra security will become a routine part of our lives. It
started this morning, when I had to sign in as I came to work and saw a
guard stopping someone in our staff cafeteria who wasn't wearing an ID
badge. Little things, but I'm afraid they will soon become routine.
I think what makes this so surreal for us is that we are here where it is
all happening, but most of us don't know much more than you do. Up to now
our main source of information has been the media. The only thing that
makes the disaster real is the sight and occasional smell of smoke. Of
course the further south in Manhattan one is, the more one is affected by
it, but we are being good citizens and resisting the temptation to try to go
somewhere closer to get a view. For me, the disaster won't register
completely until I do get a chance to see for myself, and then discover that
the view is of something that is no longer there.
Thank you again for your expressions of concern. They are deeply
appreciated.
Daniel Starr
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