Hurricane Irene has passed. Two days ago, while the subway was running, I got to Manhattan. The New York area transit system would soon close in case of flooding and I wanted to see the World Trade Center site before the storm.
In a fortnight - on the tenth anniversary - the memorial will open. The morning of September 11, 2001, I flew into Heathrow to begin my last freighter voyage around the world. On the ship's bridge, we listened to crackly BBC reports about the attacks.
Most visitors - I was - seem surprised by the extent of the place.
Down the street, New York harbour was getting choppy and the container cranes - you can see them beyond the Statue of Liberty - were about to stop work.
Back in Newark, businesses were closing.
This man had just taken down his flag rather than have it blow away.
At breakfast on Friday, the cashier said, "Have a SAFE weekend!"
