The US Open on Saturday was fabulous…a great facility with Louis Armstrong  and Arthur Ashe Stadiums.  It was a privilege to see the current great names in tennis….Federer, Jokavich, Serena Williams, and Stosur…play in one day at the semi finals.  There was even a very good outdoor restaurant to enjoy a perfectly cooked piece of salmon and an acceptable glass of white wine….would New York do any less? 

But even though the greatest city in the world was hosting this international event as well as Fashion Week, it was Sunday that spoke to the entire world.  The tenth annniversary of 9 11 01, the day the world stood still, while our beloved country was attacked, at its heart, at the World Trade Center, in Washington D.C. at the Pentagon, and  with a brave group of passengers overtaking their abductors and going down with their plane, in Pennslvania before it hit DC.  This far overshadowed the frivolity of Fashion Week for me.  I made sure I got up in time to go to Sunday Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 9 AM for the memorial Mass.  There was a widow, sitting in front of me, whose husband was a fire fighter who died that day, with two of her sons, serving as altar boys at Mass.  Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan, whose interview on 60 Minutes the previous week I enjoyed, gave me communion.  I was in heaven…so to speak.   

After mass, the firemen and policemen were gathering to process into the church for the 10:15 service.  Just seeing them there, in their uniforms, brought tears to my eyes…and I was not alone.  So many of their own were lost that day, trying to rescue anyone they could, but, how few there were to find alive.  Saks Fifth Avenue, across the street, had all the names of those lost that day, in their windows.  I always remember their Christmas windows as a child growing up in Brooklyn.  As usual, they were tasteful and perfect.

Midnight found Nicci and me going downtown to Ground Zero.  Even though we couldn’t see much, it was necessary to go.  Seeing the twin towers of light, as a hopeful beam to the sky, meant a lot, as it did when I saw it ten years ago.  I returned home to Aspen the next day.  Even though I wasn’t able to attend the fashions shows that I had hoped to, I felt complete, knowing I had been in NYC at this momentous weekend.  I hope I haven’t disappointed my readers too much….xoxo Giovanna