Just got back from picking up my brother at JFK (forgot how much I hate having to drive out to that airport, especially in rush hour). He’s in town because his latest project, Greater Elephant, will be premiering next Saturday (Nov 12th) at the South Asian International Film Festival in New York City. It’s an interesting little indie flick, from a very talented director. My little bro is playing Shiva, the God of destruction (how appropriate). You can check out the movie’s Facebook page here.

Chalk it up to one more advantage of living in (near enough) this great city. It’s great to have Naveen in town, as I don’t get to hang out with him often, living as we do in completely different worlds halfway across the globe from each other. And he’s been pretty busy with different projects since his star turn in Rocket Singh. I’m looking forward to hearing him regale us with tales of life in Bollywood. And I wonder what the film festival experience will be like. If you’re in the NYC area and can make it to the screening, be sure to come. I’ll be there to watch the film and support him.

I miss the World Trade Center. I loved those towers, and that Manhattan skyline they created along with the Empire State Building. I wish I hadn’t kept putting off going up to the observation deck.

I miss the days when the word “America” stood for accomplishing great things. In these 10 years, Dubai built the Burj Khalifa, while Beijing and Shanghai stood up one impressive structure after the next. Meanwhile we still wait on the first tower to rise at Ground Zero (which is what I will continue to call it until all construction is finished, no matter what Mayor Bloomberg says). It’s an absolute disgrace.

I miss when I could look at a fire truck passing by without a heavy heart. And living where I live, that’s pretty much every day.

I miss the time when America was looked to by the rest of the world as a shining example of democracy. That shine has definitely come off. And with it, our ability to legitimately champion human rights in other parts of this globe has been neutered.

I miss my old office, and the view I had from my cubicle on the 87th floor of Tower 1. I miss the feeling of awe I would have when I would leave home on a cloudy day, and walk into an office that was sunny because we were literally above the clouds. And I miss the 20 minute door-to-door commute I had, despite which (or probably because of which) I was thankfully late on that fateful day.

I miss being presumed innocent until proven guilty. And I hate that we are now conditioned to accept being presumed suspicious until proven safe.

I miss MSN IM. Not because it was any good, but because of what it will forever mean to me. When the towers went down, all forms of communication went out in the area – phone lines, cell phones, you name it. But the internet and IM was still there. By daisy chaining conversations (I think there was a limit of 5 people on the same conversation at the time), the Thor folks who got home were able to stay connected all day. One-by-one, painfully slowly, we would get and spread the word that another one of us had been located safe and alive. Reading the conversations I saved, some of the exchanges still send a chill down my spine. By the end of the night, the last person was accounted for; the feeling of relief was overwhelming in its intensity.

I miss going on the subway system and not seeing soldiers armed with automatic rifles every few weeks like clockwork – a reminder of what life has become.

I miss cherishing the possibility of air travel, instead of dreading it. Not because of the threat of terrorism, but because of what I may have to go through at security (and have a couple of times). Thanks, TSA.

I miss when this nation had a guiding conscience. We applaud firefighters and the NYPD when we see them at ceremonies, cheer for them before our games begin at stadiums. Yet when it comes to taking care of them, or doing something meaningful for them, we do nothing. They are the first in line when it comes to budget cuts, and work for ridiculously low pay. It took Jon Stewart weeks of talking about it and finally going on the offensive to do one of his finest shows ever to get the James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act passed at the end of last year. And there is no lasting tribute to them at the 9/11 memorial. Don’t even get me started on how we treat our troops and veterans of the necessary (but botched) and unnecessary wars abroad. It’s a travesty.

I miss the Thor team. What we went through post 9/11 to pull our company’s fortunes out of the ashes of the WTC and stand it up again was amazing. We lost almost everything that day except our people, but that was enough. We banded together, put in hellishly long hours despite not knowing if the next paycheck was coming, and clawed our way back from oblivion to create a company that I still proudly name any time I have to introduce my background. We were a great family. And like so many families, have not stayed in touch the way we really should have.

I miss the United States of America. We were united like nothing else after 9/11. But the destruction that was wrought that fateful day extended far deeper into our national psyche than we have ever acknowledged. Maybe it is just the fringe talking, but the divisions in my adopted home have never felt as pronounced as they do now. I hate that the loudest chants of “USA! USA!” come from the same folks that also throw out “my America” and “taking back my country“, like I don’t belong. I hate that I can’t disagree with a viewpoint without being labeled a traitor or told that I’m “with” the terrorists.

I miss feeling like I will live forever. Now I live like there may be no tomorrow. The wife has never viewed this as a welcome development.

I miss the sense of purpose we had as a nation, especially after the attacks. It doesn’t feel like we know what we stand for any more, all grandstanding and empty rhetoric aside. And I even miss the sense of purpose it created for me at work. Succeeding in our endeavor took on a very personal tone after that day, which is why moving on after 10 years was so hard despite it being painfully clear that it was time.

One thing I do not miss is my love for New York City. Because you can’t miss something that is very much still there. It’s one of the main reasons why I haven’t moved to the west coast, even though that is clearly the thing to do for my career. This is the greatest city in the world, and not just because of how it responded to the attacks – with resilience, with resolve, with courage. Being a New Yorker meant one thing before 9/11, something completely different afterwards. I cling to that memory – the best in all of us on display that day – as hope for the future. And while it is definitely still flawed in many ways, what endures and rises above is the spirit and energy that flows through NYC, drives it, makes it tick.

Memorial ceremonies are about to start. So much was lost that day. We may have moved on, but have never forgotten. And never will.

That’s how long it took for justice to be served. Osama Bin Laden forever changed our world that fateful fall day, and almost 10 years later we are able to close this chapter in our lives.

In a somewhat surreal twist, I am writing this while sitting on board a flight to the west coast. My entire professional travel career has been in a post 9/11 world, and every time I had to go through the security checkpoint dance, I would remember where it all began. Every time I would look at the view of downtown Manhattan from my apartment and notice that huge void in the skyline, I would remember what it was like to work at the World Trade Center – the sweet view of the East River bridges I had from my desk, the massive bank of escalators I would go up every morning, the sea of humanity I would find myself getting intimate with every day at rush hour.

I couldn’t bring myself to celebrate like the people who gathered outside the White House or at Ground Zero. The moment felt far too solemn, my emotions far too raw and my thoughts were with those who lost loved ones on 9/11. I wonder if closure is even possible when the wound is this deep. And the (intellectual) part of me that believes in MLK and Gandhi wonders why I am experiencing such visceral satisfaction in the news of a kill.

This is not a joyous victory. The path was too long, at too high a cost, with way too many mistakes along the way. When I am finally able to make my way back to Manhattan, I would like to go back to the Sphere, an under-appreciated, ignored, powerful memorial thats stands battered but tall in Battery Park, and reflect. I am one of the lucky ones to not have lost anyone on that horrific day, as everyone from Thor made it out alive. But the events of that day reshaped my life in so many different ways, altering the entire course of my life. As the destruction of that day threatened to consume Thor, a number of us dug in deeper, resolved not to let the bastard win. I know that’s not how we were necessarily thinking at the time, but I’m sure it was a subliminal driver that made us rise above our situation. And who knows where things would have ended up if not for that sense of purpose, of camaraderie, of resolve in the face of what seemed like a lost cause. I certainly know I would not have ended up where I am today. I will always carry that day with me, the good and the bad, till the day I die.

I have now lived most of my adult life in a post 9/11 world. Today, it brings tears to my eyes to realize that my son will live in a post Osama Bin Laden world. I know that terrorism isn’t going away any time soon, but there is a certain measure of comfort in that. And for that, I am grateful.

It is a good day to be an American. Thank you to the men and women in uniform, who protect our freedoms and our lives. Thank you to first responders and service men and women who risk their lives to save us. And thank you to all those that continue to fight against the prejudice and intolerance that fuels animals like Al Qaeda. We’ve finally gotten rid of the man that stood for all that was evil. Now we have to change the hearts and minds of people the world over and make this world a better place for our children.

It is a good day to be an American.

Do you think you can capture the essence and beauty of New York City in less than 5 minutes? Check out this amazing time-lapse video by James Ogle. For someone who has never been to this great city, it will really bring it to life. And for those of us that love this incredible metropolis, it is a lovely visual ballad.

This weekend we decided to visit some of the shiny new parks now available to us on either side of the Hudson river. The exploration started Friday evening, when we took a stroll just down the waterfront from our building to J. Owen Grundy Park, which reopened this past July. The park, set on the pier next to the Exchange Place PATH station, has been completely renovated, and looks really nice now. From the hardwood boards underfoot, to the metal benches and tables, to the well-lit canopies, everything has a lot of thought put into it. It is a really pleasant place to take an evening stroll, or catch lunch to the sounds of live music at the performance pavilion down by the end of the pier. I have to say, I am really impressed, not expecting much from the Jersey City government.

Saturday, we tried to check out the Jersey City Reservoir. But the gates were closed, so that plan had to be aborted. Looking in through the closed gate, it seemed more like a nature trail than a park, by which I mean that it seems it will be hard to take a stroller in. So I don’t know if we will be able to check it out.

On Sunday, we took Arav on his first PATH train ride to the city to check out the newly opened section of the Hudson Waterfront Park by Tribeca. With a nice boardwalk, lovely gardens and some interesting sculpture pieces scattered throughout, it has potential. But it still feels a little underwhelming. Shady spots are few and far between, and when compared to nearby Battery Park, there is little for people to do except sit on the grass or fly by on their bikes/rollerblades. There are a couple of tennis courts, but thats about it. Still, any park in the concrete jungle of Manhattan is to be treasured, and we could already see that there were plenty of folks out to enjoy their new park.

Lets see what else we can find in the weeks left this summer (can’t believe it’s going to be over soon).

None of these by themselves would have been that extraordinary, but I happened to come across all of these within the space of 48 hours. And that is definitely an “Only in New York” thing.

Ranjeet sent us an email about “Frozen Grand Central at Improv Everywhere“. Apparently, more than 200 people (called “Agents”) descended on Grand Central Station one Saturday morning recently, and just froze in place at the exact same time for 5 long minutes (just imagine the strength and control needed to do that!). The poses weren’t dramatic by any means, giving the impression that normal people doing everyday things – dropping a briefcase full of papers, eating or drinking, rushing to catch a train, even kissing – had just frozen in place as if shot by Mr. Freeze. Watch the video below, shot with hidden camera, which shows the whole thing, including all the reactions from the hundreds of commuters not in the know, and then read the story. It is pretty amazing.

Walking up Broadway today, I passed by Lincoln Center, only to be stopped in my tracks by what I saw. Hanging on the front of the Metropolitan Opera House was a huge banner showing two feet along with the word “Satyagraha” in huge type. The word refers to the philosophy and practice of non-violent resistance that Mahatma Gandhi used to help lead India to independence from British rule.

Intrigued, I found out that the Met will be putting on a 1980 opera by Philip Glass that describes Gandhi’s formative experiences in South Africa that transformed him from a young lawyer into a world leader like few the world has seen. The opera is set to text from the Bhagavad Gita, one of Hinduism’s holiest books, and the version at the Met uses adventurous, improvisational puppetry, achieved by the Skills Ensemble, a team of aerialists. It sounds really interesting, and I am dying to go. Hopefully Tanu will be able to hold out long enough to be able to catch this.

Last, on the same walk up Broadway I passed by a nail salon called “Trevi Nails”. The name is clearly Italian, and the decor inside recreates a classic Italian scene. Yet every employee in the store was an Asian woman, with no Italians in sight. Just like American waiters in Indian restaurants, this is a unique scene from the cultural milieu of New York that you can occasionally find elsewhere, but rarely as frequently as you see it here.

There you go. 3 things that together form a unique slice of life in New York.

If you go to Rockefeller Center this holiday season, you might be able to find out.

Stretched out on one of the pedestrian plazas is a giant steel tub containing millions and millions of penny’s. Penny Lane or Penny Harvest Field is an innovative idea from Common Cents, a nonprofit organization. The tub is filled with penny’s collected by school children from hundreds of schools all across the country. They expect to collect many more from visitors that will add to the field, and then distribute the money to charities all across the country. Even better, the money that the school children collected will be returned back to them so that they can figure out how to donate the money to charities of their choosing.

It is really cool, so check it out if you can. Especially, at night, when the coins gleam in the night, against the backdrop of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. It is on the small pedestrian plaza between 50th street to the south, 51st street to the north, 5th avenue to the east, and 6th avenue to the west.

You can read more about the project and the people who came up with this crazy idea here.

You know the holidays are here in New York when the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is up. And when it takes more than 10 minutes to walk from 5th or 6th Ave to see it because of the crushing crowd of holiday visitors to the Big Apple.

This years tree actually looks a lot nicer than in previous years. Must be something to do with the transition to energy-saving LED lights. Wonder if the lights on the surrounding trees in the plaza are also the same LED lights.

Walking around Rockefeller Center at this time of the year is one of the quintessential New York experiences. Everyone should see it in person at least once. If you can tolerate the crowds, you will see something that is truly iconic. Every year Tanu and I go check out the tree, and every year we are amazed by it.

Well, next week I’ll be in California again, for a week of work at HQ. Hopefully it will be a week of good weather, and hopefully I’ll get the chance to meet up with some friends and family.

This past weekend was a really fun weekend. On Saturday, after brunch, we spent the whole afternoon napping. What luxury. And then in the evening we met up with our friends Ranjeet and Sanjeevanee for a New York City evening – an early dinner at Zanzibar followed by the new Mel Brooks Broadway extravaganza Young Frankenstein.

And what an extravaganza. Like The Producers. this is a comedy musical adaptation of a classic Mel Brooks movie. And while it doesn’t quite reach the comedic heights that The Producers reached, it had us rolling in the aisles with laughter. Roger Bart (the murderous pharmacist from Desperate Housewives) played the Gene Wilder character (from the movie) with great aplomb, doing a great job with all the singing and dancing, and showing great comedic timing. Megan Mullally had a small part that she carried off decently well. The other parts were played really well by Broadway veterans.

But the real star of the production are the sets. I have never seen such lavish and well designed sets. They are by far the most sophisticated that have ever been put together. Remember when the big helicopter scene in Miss Saigon was such a big deal? Well, this is that kind of a jump in set production, with almost every single one being a leap forward, and the overall effect is dazzling. It never takes away from the actors, but really manages to become it’s own character in the story. Absolutely amazing.

The show is definitely worth checking out. Thanks to some pre-planning, we managed to catch this while it is still in previews. Check it out if you can with the original cast.

Sunday was football day, and while I don’t like the Patriots, it was fun watching them completely dismantle the hated Cowboys. Now on to Monday Night Football and my beloved Giants.

Today was the kind of day that makes us feel happy to be living in New York City. Fall is here, but it was a warm day, with a hint of clouds. And even after so many years here, we managed to find a brand new way to spend a day in the city, doing something we had never done before.

After taking advantage of Saturday by waking up late, we headed out for a great brunch at the Brownstone diner here in Jersey City. From there, we headed up the Hudson River to Fort Tryon Park, where we visited the Cloisters. The Cloisters is a museum (associated with the Met) devoted to the art and architecture of Medieval Europe. It gets its name from the exquisite cloistered gardens that exist within the building, itself constructed using rescued and recovered architectural elements from churches and monastaries across 12th to 15th century Europe.

While the building itself is a piece of art, it also houses a number of interesting artifacts from that time period. There are a number of religious sculptures, altars and tapestries, with a decided emphasis on sculptures of the Virgin Mary and Christ. The columns in the cloisters (like the one in the picture) are beautiful. And the gardens themselves are lovely, sun-filled places to sit, relax and enjoy the chants of monks playing over the speakers.

We also spent some time walking along the pathways around the Cloisters, which go through Fort Tryon Park and overlook the Hudson river. After that, we headed back home, throwing in a drive down Riverside Drive in as a bonus. It was a great way to spend a lovely New York day.