Five years on, New York is back on top of the world

When the World Trade Center was attacked on September 11, 2001, people asked if New Yorkers would ever recover the swagger in their step.

But almost five years on, the city’s economy is buoyant, real estate prices are at record highs and the mood is generally upbeat.

The attacks may have left a deep and indelible scar on the city, but many New Yorkers say their lives are not significantly different compared with before September 11, despite the attacks’ legacy of heightened security.

"By and large, New Yorkers have recovered. I think people have moved on," said Nancy Foner, a sociology professor at the City University of New York’s Hunter College.

"It’s always there in the background, but I don’t think it affects most New Yorkers in their day-to-day lives anymore. It is, after all, quite a long time ago."

With the notable exception of the bereaved and rescuers traumatized by the horrific events they witnessed, many New Yorkers were relatively unaffected by September 11, and the city as a whole has bounced back, she said. "A lot of people were not that affected, even at the time."

Foner, editor of "Wounded City: The Social Impact of 9/11," said New Yorkers who watched the tragedy unfold on television screens were less likely to be traumatized than those who had seen it first-hand.

"Most New Yorkers weren’t at the site, they weren’t living near it, their jobs weren’t affected. I think people were upset, but I think that within six months or so most New Yorkers were back to normal, even a few days later."

One National Guardsman patrolling Grand Central Station said that while the heightened security was a constant reminder of living in a post-September 11 world, he didn’t find New Yorkers’ attitude dented.

"New York has definitely changed. Security’s gotten a lot tighter," said the guardsman, a Brooklyn resident in his 50s who asked not to be named. He said, if anything, the attacks had reinforced New Yorkers’ extreme resolve.

"I’m a New Yorker. New Yorkers have a strong, I won’t say stoic, attitude. They can deal with just about anything, and I think that 9/11 just kind of fortified that attitude," he said.

Economically, the picture is rosy. Tourists who stayed away in the immediate aftermath of the attacks are back in droves and spending more than ever in the city’s shops and on tree-lined Madison Avenue.

Economic indicators taken from wages, economic activity, unemployment and manufacturing point to a healthy economic outlook.

Visitor spending has increased steadily since the attacks, from some $15 billion in 2001 to almost $23 billion last year, while visitor numbers in 2006 are projected to show a 22 percent increase over 2000 figures.

Visitors seem unperturbed by the new security regime. For one retired telephone company employee from Connecticut, neither the events of September 11 nor the threat of further attacks has affected the allure of the city.

"I love New York. I never thought about any problems, so I guess I’m not that concerned. It’s just life," she said.

At stations and airports, high-level security remains a day-to-day reality, while in office lobbies, workers are channelled past surveillance cameras in a constant reminder of the heightened security regime.

But for Steve Freedman, a 53-year-old shipping worker, the police and military presence are more a source of reassurance than annoyance.

"The first thing you notice is the police, the dogs and the armed forces. It’s unfortunate, but it has to be this way. It’s the way it should be. This is the day and age we’re living in."

He said the city would always be a terrorist target, but that New York’s contagious attitude kept people going.

"Life goes on. You can’t worry about every little thing that’s going to happen. You go on like everything’s normal," he said.

"This is home. It doesn’t matter what your origin is, this is home. I know that New York is something that’s always there." – AFP