stopping terrorism

This week I'm working from my organization's New York office, which recently moved from Soho to the Financial District. The good news is that I now feel slightly less shabby--no matter how hard I tried to look cute in Soho, I always felt like I was wearing stonewashed jeans with pleats and a shirt with a big soup stain down the front.

The bad news is that the Financial District, while diverse and bustling if corporate during the day, is a tad dystopic at night. The streets are deserted except for cops with machine guns guarding the New York Stock Exchange. Big metal ramps--the kind that would stop a speeding suicide bomber's car, I guess--blossom like mushrooms in the middle of the street, and there are squad cars and ominous black SUVs everywhere.

This morning, the giant American flag that covers a third of the Stock Exchange's facade had been replaced by a giant Visa ad that said, "NYSE takes Visa."

Comments

Anonymous said…
The new phrase I've learned is "security theater." It's all those big metal ramps, beefy guards with automatic weapons, metal detectors and carry-on rules. They might look like they're making you safer, but the experts say it's all full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

But don't take my word for it: this guy is the expert

I suppose all the world really is a stage, even the NYSE.
Cheryl said…
They are just a couple of blocks from Broadway, and revivals are where it's at these days. Gypsy, Chicago, cold war fear tactics....
Unknown said…
i'd say, especially the nyse :P you're missed cheryl, two more days and you'll be outta the financial district!
Cheryl said…
I'm really missing the L.A. sunshine right now. Even when it shines here, only a few brave rays find their way between the buildings.

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