City Reborn?

Is it possible for a city to be reborn? Recreated? Changed at its core? Fundamental characteristics transformed?

In 1990 I visited New York City for the first of 2 times. My most outstanding memory is of the subway ride to the Yankees game. As we approached the stadium the hard external shells that people carried began to crack, break, and fall away. It was as if everyone was drunk on the wine with the Steinbrenner label (or in 1990 was it the Winfield wine? - "Steinbrenner" on Wikipedia). People began to talk and even smile as they shared their passion for their beloved Yankees. Unfortunately, after the game the tone of the city quickly returned to its harsh exterior: living souls with no spark, no spirit.

In 2007 I returned to the city and found it totally different. People were full of life. I heard conversations and saw smiles everywhere: people exchanging life and love. The city had been reborn.

My friends and I visited Ground Zero and I found the spot where, perhaps, the rebirth began. Today its a hole in the ground; a construction sight. But it's more: it's a sanctuary, a hallowed place, a sight where one's life becomes calm and contemplative.

I know a modern city can be reborn; I've seen it, and after all it has happened at least once before. Read the story here.