Editor’s Note: Tomorrow, a lot of us will memorialize the Twin Towers, and those who died that day, which is heartbreaking and necessary and appropriate. But is it possible also to remember that before the Twin Towers fell, they stood, and that while they stood, they brought us a lot of joy? We all end, some of us tragically, but we are all more than just the way we end. Is there any way that we can think of the Towers during the before-times, to remember a romantic dinner at Windows on the World, the stunning view from the observation deck with relatives from out of town, or how the Towers looked from an afternoon boat ride? None of that diminishes the enormity of the tragedy, it just recognizes the happiness that came before. To frame this question, we present a never-before-published photograph taken on a happy day in 1974, faded with time, and ask whether you can see this scene the way the photographer did.

^^^

May Pang is a New York-based writer and photographer. Beginning today, she is bringing her photographs to various galleries throughout the west and southwest, including California, Texas, New Mexico and Nevada. Check out her calendar for more information about her work and exhibition dates.

(c) May Pang. Used with permission. All rights reserved. No further reproduction or use without the copyright holder’s prior written permission.