A City of Contrasts

Residents seek normalcy in wake of attacks

By Graham Rayman | STAFF WRITER

September 17, 2001

Along the West Side Highway yesterday, two realities existed side-by-side. In one, New Yorkers walked their dogs, rode their bicycles, and skated along the bike path. In the other, the massive recovery effort transformed the three-mile-long stretch of roadway into one giant staging area.

Dump trucks loaded with debris rumbled into the 59th Street waste transfer station, now guarded by FBI agents. Once inside, the trucks deposited their loads on barge DS128, which will be towed to the Fresh Kills Landfill on Staten Island.

The right lane from 34th Street to 59th Street has been cordoned off for emergency vehicles, and Verizon workers installed 200 phone lines at Pier 94, the new command center. Nine blocks south, FBI agents armed with shotguns guarded the entrance to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, which is closed.

All along the road, a procession of onlookers were drawn south. At Christopher Street, hundreds of Battery Park City residents waited to retrieve possessions from their apartments. "Anybody for 380 Rector?" an official on a megaphone called.

"Given the circumstances, they're doing the best they can," said Jonathan Tarbet, a lawyer who lives in the development.

Another resident, who refused to give her name, said, "The patience is starting to wear thin. After awhile, you want to get back to your life."

On Canal Street, thronged like Times Square, Mali native LaGal Tambele peddled photographs of the burning towers for $2 apiece. Asked whether he had qualms doing this, Tambele said, "I'm sorry about this, but I sell watches and I've had no work for five days. I've got to make some money."

At a horse stable on 52nd Street, stableman Omar Heredia rinsed the off-white coat of "Sawyer." "We have 14 drivers, and last Saturday, each one had 25 rides," he said. "Yesterday, we had 14 drivers, but only one ride total."

Jim and Jackie Bush of Great Britain waited at 50th Street for the Circle Line Cruise around Manhattan.

"I've never seen anything like it," Jim Bush said. "And I remember the bombing of London and Coventry during World War II. The worst thing is the helplessness."

Construction workers waited for assignments at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on 34th Street. Towering stockpiles of water, canned food and dog food sat along the sidewalk. Across the highway, the helipad usually reserved for business bigwigs now launches police choppers.

At Gansevoort Street, the meat markets have been taken over by police tow trucks, their engines idling.

Traffic Agent Robert Thompson said he spent three days towing shattered cars. His thoughts turned to the 1993 World Trade Center blast.

"We did the same thing then, only it was taking cars out of the garage," he said. "You see things that are going to stay with you the rest of your life."

Powering Up Wall Street

Much of the Financial District is still without power. Temporary generators have been installed to supply power for today's opening of the New York Stock Exchange. Here is a look at how the electricitiy will be supplied.

1. Each building is assessed to determine how much power is needed for it to operate at 60 to 70 percent of its power capacity.

2. The primary line connected to the city's power grid is disconnected before the generator is installed.

3. Generators feed power to a temporary transformer. The size and number of generators depend upon the size of the building.

4. A temporary transformer distributed power from the generator to the electrical system in the building.

SOURCE: Con Edison.