NYC Report -- Exercising My Patriotic Duty

Visit to Ground Zero... That's me standing next to Wall Street's bronze bull, just a few blocks from the World Trade Center site.  (If you receive the Dispatch in Text format, see Note below.)  It was taken on Sunday, September 30, at the start of a previously planned trip to New York City. Following President Bush's advice to "get on board" and start flying, I spent three days meeting with friends and potential sponsors of next year's PikeNet Forum in New York City (May 8-9, 2002).  The scope of the tragedy is immense.  The spontaneous walls of posters and photos are heartbreaking.  Nobody seems to be more than two degrees separated from a personal connection to the tragedy.  Either a friend was lost. Or a friend of a friend. 

But the spirit of the city is unbowed.  Business is returning to normal.   And when you're in Midtown, except for security precautions (more on this in the next Dispatch), life continues as before.  Offices are humming with activity.  That was evident visiting Tom Falus at Cushman & Wakefield, Aymar de Lencquesaing at Workspeed, Chris Shaida at RealFoundations, Richard Podos at NetStruxr, Jim Millard at Trammell Crow, Peter Slatin at Grid Magazine, and Yale and Henry Robbins at Office Buildings Magazine.  But everybody has a story about witnessing the event, hearing others react to the news, or struggling to find a ride home that day.  Now life is moving forward.  At breakfast, Hugh Kelly, who for many years was the Chief Economist at Landauer, reflected on the resiliency of NYC bouncing back from previous crises.  Later Ed Friedman, one of the founders of Concrete Stories, spoke about helping to organize a major collective effort to aid displaced firms, the Coalition for Commercial Tenant Assistance. 

On my last night, I went to see Les Misérables with my daughters.  From this picture taken in front of the Marriott Marquis, you can see that traffic and crowds around Times Square are also returning to normal.   Both in New York City and at the airports, you feel safe.  And to the extent that there are fewer travelers, the experience is actually more enjoyable.  As the plane flew west back to San Francisco, I mentally reconfirmed my belief that no technology will replace physical meetings.  Conversation is the ultimate human protocol. ... I've got some great ideas about making next year's PikeNet Forum a valuable experience for you.  So stay tuned to future announcements in the Dispatch.  And if you're interested in sponsorship, call me at 415-485-6700. 

--Peter Pike / ppike@pikenet.com