Deep Thoughts on Autumn in NYC
I scheduled my visit to the East hoping to see the Yankees in the World Series and the New England autumn foliage.
Tragically, what occurred,just a few blocks from where I was sitting in Central Park,was a Yankee in a plane crashing through the leaves into a building near the East River.
The sound of the plane crash was much like a loud firecracker. The emergency response was immediate and precise. Sirens from police cars, fire trucks and ambulances filled the air.
People remained calm and Mayor Bloomberg let New Yorkers know as soon as possible that this was not a terrorist act.
A physician friend who works on 72nd Street told me he was in the basement of the struck building when the plane hit. The fire department came down and told him to evacuate. Otherwise, he hardly noticed the impact.
So, in fact, this incident demonstrates that we are better prepared to react to an emergency than we were on Sept. 11. But the risk remains high and all 3 million people in Orange County should remain diligent.
Wife Mimi and I spent nine days at son Jeff’s and daughter-in-law Amy’s country cottage in Bridgewater, Conn. The trees were at peak with the green, yellow, gold, brown, orange and red leaves creating a multicolored tapestry along the hills and mountains, which transformed daily.
Without TV or radio in the cottage, it was a Thoreau-like experience. After nine days you felt like the world was sane again. I recommend this trip for everyone who lives in our materialistic, speed-of-light county.
Back in the West Village in New York, we gushed over an extremely cute Black Lab puppy. It took about two minutes to realize that the lady at the other end of the leash was actress Julianne Moore, who was pretty cute, too.
Will Smith was shooting a doomsday movie at the park in Washington Square near New York University. The set created a scene of urban devastation. The film crew was spraying cars with a dirt-colored paint.
I hardly noticed the difference.
Back in OC, I watched the television with bittersweet emotion as the Cardinals finished off the Tigers to win the World Series. David Eckstein’s play was heavenly, and he had three other ex-Angels on his side, too.
Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D.
Newport Beach
