New York different this time around

As our airplane made the gradual turn to the north toward LaGuardia Airport in Queens, it gradually came into view -- the void that used to be the World Trade Center, windows formerly glistening brilliantly in the midday sun. That's when the reality sunk in -- the city I had grown to love had been wounded and was no longer the same. \nVisiting New York City before Sept. 11, 2001, always brought a great deal of excitement. I would go to visit family and friends, and I would take friends from home to share with them the many wonders of "The City that Never Sleeps." But this visit was different. \nI boarded an airplane in Indianapolis early one Wednesday morning with two fellow journalists, neither of whom had ever been to NYC. Since I was familiar with the city, I was the designated navigator for our trip. \nThe World Trade Center was so many things to so many people. Among other things, to me, it was a symbol of the great strength, or ability, of our country. I would stand at the bottom of the towers and gaze upward in awe of the giant structures piercing the clouds above my head. \nThe first time I was on my own in NYC, I memorized certain landmarks that would serve as a guide so I could just look to the tallest buildings in sight and have an idea of my location. Eventually, I learned the order (or disorder) of the streets and avenues, but the towers were still a reliable resource when wandering out of a different Subway exit every time. \nBefore we arrived I found myself wondering what my new point of reference would be, and I concluded that without the towers I would be like a sailor without her North Star.\nI did not know what to expect. From speaking with loved ones in and around the city, I knew people had been back to work for some time, and I knew the city, as well as the entire nation, was recovering. But it was still going to be a different city.\nThe image of Ground Zero had become etched in my mind after almost a full year of television coverage of the rescue, clean-up and rebuilding efforts. As the days after the tragedy turned into months the site went from stories of twisted metal to a construction site.\nAs I made my way to the site I passed under at least a full city block of scaffolds. Now a memorial, what was left of the 10 House fire station slowed the line down as everyone stopped to pay respects.\nGround Zero was most accurately described to me by a NYPD officer patrolling who patrols the area every day. "It's a gravesite," he said with a serious, somber face.\nDescribing what the twin towers looked like was a difficult task. When the question was posed to me, I said to look for a moment at the tallest buildings around … then imagine two more buildings twice as tall as the tallest you can see. They were so big they took up two city blocks.\nBeing back in the city was not as different as I had envisioned it would be. New Yorkers had never come off as unpleasant to me, but now people seem to have found a little extra time to help a stranger or point a tourist in the right direction. People still walk as if there is always somewhere to be, but they should've been there five minutes ago. The police sirens still screamed. The big black Lincoln Towncars still dominated the streets and managed to parallel park into spaces I couldn't get into with a Honda Civic.\nI have heard comparisons of trips to New York City, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania after Sept. 11 to a pilgrimage; a quest to one's holy land. In a way, the physical locations where the planes struck will forever be reminders of what used to be. That is, the feeling of safety and security, of omnipotence and pride that were taken for granted one year ago. But the terrorists did not accomplish their goals on Sept. 11, 2001. Our pride grew stronger. Our nation came together. We will keep going.