Peggy Noonan: The Fall After Sept. 11

Opinion Journal ^ | 08/30/2002 | Peggy Noonan

[JohnHuang2]

[onedoug]

"Gee Mr Kramden.... I didn't realize you were the dope."

[Timesink]

So, um ... what happened to the autumn of 2000? That was right after I had to move out of Manhattan. :(

[Flashlight]

..."Try to remember the kind of September when life was an ember about to billow."...

(you replied) I often thought of that song myself...

The Fantasticks is such a great play. Its themes are so universal, you can find yourself often remembering lyrics and quotes from the show. I'll invite you to read the rest of the lyrics to "Try To Remember"; even if you know the song (like me) very well, I think you'll be surprised, and find that there's another line that now seems to mean a lot more this year:

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow
...When grass was green and grain was yellow
...When you were a young and a callow fellow
...if you remember, then follow...

Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow
...That dreams were kept beside your pillow
...That love was an ember about to billow
...if you remember, then follow

Deep in December it's nice to remember
Although you know the snow will follow
...Without a hurt, the heart is hollow
...The fire of September that made you mellow
...our hearts should remember, and follow

Also, just a minor point: Noonan's quote said "life" was an ember, instead of the correct lyric, which is "love".

[danmar]

A GIANT BUMP for Peggy...boy this Lady is astonishing in any aspect of the way!

[PJ-Comix]

Bay Ridge? Is that where the Goodfellas guys lived? I'm sort of picturing you like that guy in Goodfellas who walked into that restaurant from the rear only instead of a restaurant, in your case it is the rear of a giant bakery/restaurant. You walk in and the chefs all know you. You walk down an aisle and the chefs and bus boys all know you. Then you walk out onto the main dining area and all the Wise Guys know you. One of them is pissed off at you because you just laughed at one of his stories. IS HE THERE JUST TO MAKE YOU AMUSED!!!???

[JoeGar]

Will the non-stop all-network Sept. 11 memorials on TV do harm or good? Is it wallowing?

Yes

Do we need closure?

Yes

[Wait4Truth]

Peggy Noonan makes one feel that they are sitting with her over a cup of coffee. As I was reading this wonderful piece, I was thinking about how extraordinary it would be to have Peggy and JohnHuang2 write something together. Can you imagine? What a piece of fantastic writing it would be!

[JohnHuang2]

You have some imagination -- hehe ;^) Morning, my friend.

[BlueAngel]

Thank you Pokey. Really enjoyed this one.

[hot august night]

And don't forget Junior's Cheesecake, Brooklyn's biggest claim to fame!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the heads up!

[cyncooper]

Could you please add me to your ping list?

Thank you!

[cyncooper]

And John, could you please add me to your ping list?

Thanks...

[Salvation]

Thanks for the ping.

We haven't had an autumn in New York in two years. We lost last September last year. It was the summer of '01, and then before the leaves could turn it was the trauma of '01, and we woke up six months later, in the spring. So all those tender leaves--they didn't register. I would walk along the streets and think of the old song from The Fantasticks: "Try to remember the kind of September when life was an ember about to billow." It was sad here as summer elided into winter.

Very poignant!

[Fred Mertz]

Is Lundy's seafood joint still running? Why do they call that area Sheepshead Bay?

mmmmmmm, steamed clams.

[baseballmom]

I watched a TV show tonight about the widows. They were pregnant that Day. Now, they're just widows with new babies

I saw that show too. The segment that got to me was about the Muslim widow who had taken driving lessons- to surprise her husband - so she would be able to drive their children to school. After, when she passed the test, she just sat there behind the wheel, sobbing from the depths of her soul. He would never know her surprise. Her husband was a physicist, educated in Pakistan - but he wanted his family to have the American dream. He took a job as a waiter in Windows of the World restaurant.

I don't think there is such a thing as "closure". We just go on because we have to. The wound will heal slowly, but there will always be a scar. It will be a reminder that we are to Never Forget.

[JimFreedom]

Hey I lived in Bay Ridge and went to Fort Hamilton High School. My favorite is Double Cheeseburger, Onion Ring's and Vanilla Shake at Green Tea Room 86th street. I thought EVERYONE was from Brooklyn? I now live out 'west' in NJ!

[Clemenza]

Is Lundy's seafood joint still running? Why do they call that area Sheepshead Bay?

Lundy's shut its doors back around 1991, but reopened under new ownership back in 1996. It is still a wonderful place to go and they now have a second place around 50th and Broadway in the city.

The reason it is called Sheepshead Bay is that the bay (which lies between the neighborhood and the Manhattan Beach section of Coney Island) was once filled with Sheepshead Fish, which were killed off by the 1920s. You can still fish for bluefish in the area, although I would recommend taking a charter boat from the pier along Emmons Avenue.

[Clemenza]

Alas, the Green Tea Room is no more, although Lento's is still there on 3rd Avenue. Many new restaurants have opened on Third, which is the bar/restaurant capital of Brooklyn. Come and visit the area sometime, particularly Third Avenue and below.