Love 'em or hate 'em, there was no discounting the Twin Towers as the modern symbol of New York. Growing up in the outer borough of the Big Apple, you could see them from almost any rooftop in the metropolitan area and they lorded over southern Manhattan like sentries standing duty.
I could never imagine that I would outlive these gargantuan ingeminate structures. As solid as they seemed, sadly, they were no match for what destructive minds could conjure.
Any post-September 11 visitor to New York would likely have been as turned off by the cynical souvenir-mongering as moved by the stark site where the World Trade Center once stood.
One tasteful keepsake of these short-lived Manhattan landmarks is "The World Trade Center Remembered," a large paperback book of photographs by the husband-and-wife team of Sonja Bullaty and Angelo Lomeo, with text by Paul Goldberger, Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic for The New Yorker, published by Abbeville Press and available at all local bookshops for $19.95.
{INSERT_RELATED}In this volume, which has the oversized but slim dimensions that echo the proportions of the towers themselves, the photographers examine the Twin Towers in every light, from every angle in every season. The result is that readers get a feel for just how ubiquitous these landmarks were in the city that never sleeps.
Thankfully lacking in photos of September 11, the book has one sole shot of the city's almost retro-looking skyline after the terrible event.
Golderberger's essay explores not only the history of the structures but also their significance, their symbolism to New Yorkers, to Americans and to people the world over; a significance that made them the perfect targets for those looking to strike at the heart of America.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
