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American Morning
America's New War: New Yorkers Have Sense of Apprehension Towards Economy.
Aired September 25, 2001 - 09:04 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Time to go back to Bill Hemmer, who joins us from Times Square.
Good morning.
BILL HEMMER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Paula, good morning again.
The overall feeling that we are interpreting from people we talk to down here is the feeling of sense of apprehension with regard to the U.S. economy, and again, the markets are going to open within a half hour and we'll get more economic news throughout the day. But in the meantime, though, most Americans still trying to digest where the economy may or may not be headed at this time.
Janet Gabby with us here. She's a resident of Long Island, on her way to work.
You took some time to talk with us. You went out shopping yesterday, and a very interesting story. What happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I decided to go out and spend my lunch hour looking around, and I went into the store, and I usually have no problem shopping, it is my...
HEMMER: You are good at it, you say?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's my most fun thing to do, much to my husband's chagrin. I picked up a sweater, I looked at it, and I put it down. I just -- my heart wasn't in it. I just -- my husband is firefighters, so there is an added sadness for us. It's just not what i fell like -- it just didn't seem that important right now.
HEMMER: You say your heart was not in it. Is that concern for the economy, or is that the attitude and the feeling you have?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think it is just the attitude and feeling right now. I really don't have a concern for the economy. I think we are tough. I think New Yorkers are real tough bunch, and they will come back, they just need to work through this right now. And I think that is what it is. It's a slow process for all of us, I think, but I do think it will get better. I really do.
HEMMER: You say New Yorkers are tough, what about the rest of the country?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I'm a born and bred New Yorker, and I don't think they're as tough. I think as Americans we are tough, but New Yorkers, they have an edge, I think. We go through more on a daily basis, it's not like working in some -- in the Midwest. You know, you don't claw your way to work every day.
HEMMER: You're talking to a Midwesterner here, so watch it there.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Are you really? You know something -- but when you come to New York don't you think you change a little?
HEMMER: The pace is quicker, that is for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.
HEMMER: You know, on another note, you mentioned your husband is a firefighter. He was inside the World Trade Center when it came down and he got out.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, he did.
HEMMER: How lucky do you feel?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like the luckiest person in the world and at the same time sad because he lost so many friends, but I'm just a very lucky lady. I really am.
HEMMER: Janet, thanks.
Janet Gabby, from Long Island, thanks for sharing your story with us.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thanks a lot.
HEMMER: OK.
All right, back on the economy, now, Paula. We have been talking about it throughout the morning here, 22 minutes away from the open. It will be interesting again today as it has been now for several days.
Back to you.
ZAHN: Bill, I wanted to mention something to you that I'm sure you will be reacting to later this afternoon. Apparently, Broadway ticket sales are slowly inching up and they were off, I guess, last week some 50 to 60 percent of ticket sales, but much better than 80 to 90 percent they were off the week before. So I guess they are going to announce new campaign they are going create to try to get people to come to New York City and make it clear to they can probably actually get tickets to producers if they want them.
HEMMER: Yes, I think three points on that, Paula. There has been a half a dozen shows we have heard that will go out of business as a result of the downtick in the economy. But the mayor even yesterday said that he felt at this time that ticket sales were improving for Broadway sales. But talking with some of the New Yorkers who found it hard to get tickets earlier, they say for some of the leading shows here in New York City they are finding no problem in getting tickets now.
ZAHN: All right, Bill, thanks.
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