The Covid-19 pandemic has sparked a debate in New York about whether the city can recover the vitality that it had before the virus. Optimists point to how Gotham bounced back stronger than ever after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001—19 years ago today—though the devastating attacks sparked predictions that it might be decades before New York could rebound. It’s provocative to compare these two existential crises, nearly 20 years apart.
