A Clearly Divided CIty

I am not sure why, but I have not seen this image before this evening. Generally I think of New York as little more than an advertising circular much like the ones that appear unsolicited in our rural mail box. But I have to say that this cover image - taken from a helicopter at 5000 feet the night after the recent storm - by Iwan Baan is pretty remarkable. Here are some reflections from the photographer:

“It was the only way to show that New York was two cities, almost . . . One was almost like a third world country where everything was becoming scarce. Everything was complicated. And then another was a completely vibrant, alive New York.

What really struck me, if you look at the image on the left, you see the Goldman Sachs building and new World Trade Center. These two buildings are brightly lit. And then the rest of New York looks literally kind of powerless. In a way, it shows also what’s wrong with the country in this moment.”

 And, of course, Baan's image only captures Manhattan, leaving out the  darkness and devastation in the other boroughs.;