new york harbor

I hope most of us, all of us, had a safe and wonderful Fourth of July. To me, holidays are about family, a time to reflect back and to look forward.

The Statue of Liberty opened today for the first time in eight years. I remember going to the Statue of Liberty as a boy. I thought that the color green was odd and I remember the long walk up the stairs. After looking out over New York Harbor, just for a minute, it was time to descend back down the stairs. Back then there was no worry about terrorism. There were relatively long lines. I don’t remember anybody even worrying about the elderly trying to truck up all those stairs.

Although some have told us that 9/11 has changed everything, I’m still not sure that that’s right. 9/11 has changed some things. Some things haven’t changed at all. The way I take care of patients in the hospital, for example, hasn’t changed at all. On the other hand, traveling around the country has changed significantly.

I’m glad the Statue of Liberty is reopened. Happy Fourth of July!