The terrorists who succeeded in destroying the World Trade Centers and damaging the Pentagon while taking thousands of innocent lives along with them, appear to have also succeeded in what may have been their ultimate target: damaging the American psyche. Last week Americans stopped jumping on to airplanes as they had in the past. As a direct result the hotel business, vacations spots, and restaurants suffered. A number of shows filed to close on Broadway. Wall Street traders struggled with the loss of thousands of colleagues as they watched the markets plunge decisively downward. At the epicenter of the initial strikes, New Yorkers found themselves at the forefront of the powerful emotional aftershock that followed.
With this in mind TIME photographer Anthony Suau set out to document an extraordinary week in an extraordinary city.
