A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early August, 1998 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early August, 1998 | Richard Grayson

Saturday Afternoon in the Financial District: Bach at One - Organ Inauguration at St. Paul's Chapel

Friday Evening in the Financial District: Descending into the Whitehall Street Subway Station

(Video courtesy A Random Minute)

Saturday Evening in Lower Manhattan: Seaglass Carousel at Battery Park

(Video courtesy kris kemp)

Sunday Afternoon in the Financial District: New York Chinese Opera Society presents Zhichen Zhao lecturing on "The Idea of Time" at 120 Broadway

(Video courtesy 紐約梨園社)

Saturday Afternoon in the Financial District: Protest in Solidarity with Istanbul Gezi Park in Zuccotti Park

Tuesday Afternoon in Tribeca: Looking Out at One World Trade Center from the Ninth Floor of Fiterman Hall

This semester the new Fiterman Hall at Borough of Manhattan Community College opened -- the old Fiterman Hall building was so heavily damaged from the collapse of 7 World Trade Center on 9/11 that it had to be demolished -- and we've been teaching our wonderful creative writing workshop there on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. On the Barclay Street side of the building on the ninth floor, they have some comfortable swivel chairs placed at the floor-to-ceiling windows, and on this very chilly, rainy/snowy afternoon before class, we watched the still-not-complete One World Trade Center and all the construction by the PATH terminal (just opened again after the hurricane) below.

Friday Morning in the Financial District: Marching with #Occupy Wall Street

At 7:20 a.m., we came out of the 5 train at Wall Street to join the march of Occupy Wall Street protestors through the Financial District. An hour earlier, the city postponed the cleanup of Zuccotti Park and so averted a a feared showdown between the police and demonstrators who had vowed to resist any efforts to evict them from their encampment.

The crowd chanted various slogans, including "The Whole World Is Watching."



It was pretty peaceful and mostly celebratory, given that there would be no eviction from Zuccotti Park (renamed Liberty Square by #OWS) today.







However, we did see people arrested as we wound our way through the streets of the Financial District. One man, wrestled to the ground by police, had a bloody gash on his face and others were piled into a paddy wagon at Maiden Lane and Water Street.



Eventually we all returned to Zuccotti Park.



We ran into our friends, Brooklyn City Council members Jumaane Williams and Letitia James, who were instrumental, along with other elected officials, in convincing Brookfield Properties to postpone today's cleanup and avoid any real serious confrontation.

Early Sunday Morning in the Financial District: Breakfast with Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park

At 7 a.m. on this chilly Sunday morning, we were at Zuccotti Park in the Financial District to lend our support to Occupy Wall Street, the protest now going into its third week. Hundreds of protesters were arrested last night while marching over the Brooklyn Bridge. When we got there, most people were still asleep in their sleeping bags, giving the plaza a weird look, as if it were populated by shrouds. A few people were up for the breakfast, and that's when we made a small contribution to their effort.

We're grateful for Occupy Wall Street and grateful we got to see it before we went to teach our wonderful early Sunday morning English 101 class a few blocks away. It reminded us of when we were young. We'll try to get back if we are still alive later this week.