There is no normal in Washington

Benjamin Grove

Friday, Oct. 12, 2001 | 4:27 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- Many residents of this city hate the word "normal" now.

Normal is overused, it doesn't mean much and it's a painful reminder of life before Sept. 11.

Sure, we're getting on with our lives here like everyone else. As America launched its first military strikes last Sunday in Afghanistan, people in the nation's capital ignored increased police patrols on the streets and went jogging, watched football, sipped coffee at cafes, played soccer on the National Mall.

But in a city full of powerful symbols of America -- a terrorist shooting gallery of monuments and museums -- there is no normal. There is only then and now.

Then: Early autumn skies were quiet. Now: Fighter jets on patrol buzz the city.

Then: Tourists flocked to the White House and the Capitol. Now: They still come, but fewer of them.

Then: Tourists climbed the granite steps into the quiet sanctuary of the Lincoln Memorial to gape and grin at the towering statue. Now: Their expressions more often match the grim-faced president.

Then: Snobbish locals were annoyed by tourists who clogged Metro trains. Now: They engage tourists in conversation. "Where are you from?" a Washingtonian this week asked two guys pondering a map aboard the Red Line. "Oklahoma," one said. "Glad to have you here," the local replied without disdain, turning back to his Washington Post. "We don't get too many visitors anymore."

Then: People didn't acknowledge each other much. Now: They smile sometimes. They make small talk at the grocery store.

Then: People wondered where's Chandra? Now: They wonder where's Cheney?

Then: The Redskins played badly. Fans watched games on TV anyway. Now: The Redskins play badly. Fans flip channels to watch the war.

Then: Visitors who lined up to tour the White House ignored nearby protesters advocating peace. Now: Passersby give them a second thought and pause to think about peace, and war.

Then: We didn't notice sirens and helicopters in our busy city. Now: We notice. Then: Workers at the Pentagon walked by walls of fame honoring generals and war heroes. Now: Workers also pass a wall plastered with obituaries of 189 murdered colleagues.

This week, an estimated 15,000 people from all over the Washington area went to the Pentagon to commemorate the one-month anniversary of the Sept. 11 attack. They gathered to promise to remember. Some had lost loved ones and co-workers, buried in the burning rubble of the Pentagon.

Normal was buried there, too.