I am now in Philadelphia. We had our last show in Boston on Sunday and after a load out under perfect climate conditions (sunny but not too hot), we are now setting up in Philly. Of course I have not had a day off since I arrived here so my view of the city can still change but so far, I am not very impressed with Philadelphia. The subway is efficient but filthy, street identification is confusing (just like Boston!) and the people I have seen so far do not appear to be the most energetic. Hopefully something more positive will turn up soon!

I drove down from Boston on Tuesday. I did not intend to stop in New York at first but I changed my mind along the way. I had to see it with my own eyes, hoping that it would bring some kind of closure, some kind of reality to it. Well, I dont think anything but a lot of time will bring closure to something that horrible. But I still had to see it. My first intention was to go to Liberty State Park, where our Big Top stood for three months last Spring. Here is what you could see on May 1 when you arrived to see the show:

The northern part of the park where we were is now being used as a command post for emergency services so it was closed to the public on Tuesday. However I was able enter the southern part. I parked my car, took my cameras and started walking towards the river. I had already seen the white smoke emanating from the ruins on my way there. You can actually see the disaster zone from the New Jersey Turnpike! However I was not prepared for the impact of standing just across the water from the site of the tragedy.

Of course the first thing you notice is the fact that the two familiar towers are no longer there. Then you look closer and you can see the ruins between buildings, the broken windows and of course the constant smoke rising from the pile of debris more than a week after the tragedy. I started taking pictures but after a few minutes I realized it was difficult to get a stable image because I was litterally shaking. What I saw was disturbing, made me feel extremely uneasy and I can only imagine what it must have been like for those who actually witnessed the impact of the planes and then the collapse of the buildings.

There were few visitors at the park, everyone was quiet, observing from a distance and taking pictures. A few tourists were asking a park ranger where the towers used to be and he went to get a picture of the New York skyline from his car. That skyline will never be the same. Even Lady Liberty across the water seemed lonely. The ferries which go to the Statue normally leave from Battery Park, located in the area of New York still closed to everyone except rescue workers. If you are not familiar with New York City, the towers used to be behind the second flag from the left in the picture below.

After leaving Liberty State Park, I went to downtown Jersey City to try to get a closer view. I was amazed at not only the size of the pile of debris but also at the amount of damage to the surrounding buildings. There will be a lot of repairs needed before that part of the city can be revived. I hope they manage to restore economic activity soon though. This city usually so vibrant is much too quiet. The people of New York have been so supportive of each other and of the rescue workers. You can see it on the news but driving on I-95 towards the George Washington Bridge, it was all too obvious. Everywhere you could see the American flags, home made banners thanking the fire and police departments. I think New York will survive this.