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There's More to
America Than Buildings
(First published Sept. 2001)
It was during a run
the other day that I realized how September 11 has since affected our
everyday lives in America.
This was a few weeks after the cowardly attacks and I
had just embarked on one of my favorite routes while in San Francisco.
It starts at Fort Mason, goes down a seawall and along a wide path right
along the Bay. The turnaround point is directly under the Golden Gate
Bridge, and if the sun is shining and the wind isn't blowing, it is
a fantastic experience.
Upon beginning the run, I encountered a couple of police
officers. There was nothing going on that required their attention;
they were just patrolling the area. Later, as I approached the turnaround
point, there was another pair of policemen, and they had blocked off
the area that goes under the bridge. They were posted like sentries,
forcing runners to peel off early and denying us the thrill of running
under the city's famed landmark.
My first thought was how ridiculous this was. If someone
wanted to plant a bomb at the base of the Golden Gate Bridge, surely
that person wouldn't be a recreational runner wearing only jogging shorts
and a t-shirt. At the very least, wouldn't they be sporting a very large
backpack?
I did, however, feel proud that our country was taking
such extreme steps to protect us citizens. And while it shook me for
a moment that we had to resort to posting guards at every turn, it did
prompt me to think that even if terrorists succeeded in penetrating
these defenses, they could never – ever – bring down this
country.
First, there are just too many targets. And it's not just
the landmarks to which I'm referring, but the people and the various
activities in which we are involved. This, more than anything, is what
defines us as a nation.
Americans are the world's most diverse collection of citizens. We go
to shopping malls, sporting events, museums, theme parks, beaches, the
mountains, the desert. Look how many of us go to bars. How would anyone
ever stop that – hit every corner pub and dance club in the country?
It would be impossible.
A few hours after my run, I was in La Barca, a jumping Mexican cantina
in the Marina district. People poured in – as they do there every
Thursday – and the bartenders were generously pouring margaritas.
Conversations were lively and people were living it up.
This scene was also being conducted at cities and places all over this
great land including, to be sure, in New York City. Destroy America?
HA!
High-profile places like the World Trade Center, the Golden Gate Bridge
and other landmarks are great symbols of our existence. Yet they are
not the sources of our soul.
The real America is found in places like La Barca. And outside the
Tasty Freezes in the Midwest where teenagers gather to fool around after
school. At Wall Marts in the South. Corner coffee houses in Seattle
and San Francisco. Football fields around the country. At grassy fields
in the middle of nowhere hosting family reunions.
So, while the vicious attacks September 11 have made an
impact in America, and while we are going about our business and activities
with heavy hearts, the very fabric of this country remains intact.
There is so much more to America than just buildings.
The Bartender can be reached at bartender@pubclub.com
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