San Diego County residents took the first anniversary of Sept. 11 in stride yesterday, pausing to remember the horrific losses and then carrying on with their daily lives.
Unlike last year on the date, when many of the county's gathering places and tourist attractions were fear-filled ghost towns, this seemed like any other Wednesday.
The San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld reported normal attendance. Average-sized crowds went to the movies and to plays. The malls had their usual array of shoppers.
The main exception was Lindbergh Field, where the thought of flying on 9/11 was too much for some people. Air traffic was down about 15 percent nationwide compared to the previous Wednesday, industry officials said.
Lines at Lindbergh's check-in counters were a minute or less. There were plenty of parking spaces near the entrances.
Bryan Enarson, an airport spokesman, compared the amount of business to what's seen late in the day on Christmas when that holiday falls in the middle of the week.
For those who chose to fly, the decision reflected convenience, nonchalance – or defiance.
"They're not going to scare us off," said Sandra Gabel of Tellico Plains, Tenn. She and her husband, Paul, were awaiting a flight home after visiting family here.
Roger Keller of Escondido had a senior softball tournament to get to in Salem, Ore. "I gave it some thought about a month ago when I made the reservation, and I said, 'To heck with it.' There are some things that are out of my control."
Elaine Livingston had a pretty good reason not to fly yesterday. The Army officer from Fort Benning, Ga., flew last Sept. 11 and wound up stranded in Norfolk, Va., for four days while the airlines were grounded.
But there she was arriving at Lindbergh yesterday. Her flight was not even one-quarter full, and she pronounced it "one of the best flights I've ever been on."
Many retailers in the county were afraid the anniversary would bring empty aisles and poor sales. When Oscar Guillen opened his coffee cart in downtown San Diego at 6:30 a.m., he sensed from his first customers that it would be a gloomy day.
"They were kind of down, and one had been crying after watching TV," he said. But within a couple of hours, the mood had changed.
"It's like a Friday, or a payday," Guillen said. "People are buying more pastries and spending more. Usually, we don't sell many pastries at all. It's like people were kind of splurging."
Mike Hansen, a spokesman for Grossmont Center, didn't report any consumer splurges but said, "We're seeing normal customer traffic. I had to stand in line (at a mall restaurant) for lunch."
By early afternoon at Wahrenbrock's Book House downtown, a dozen people were browsing through the stacks. "It's just like any other day," said Jan Tonnesen, store manager.
Several shopkeepers, however, reported slower sales in the morning and wondered if shoppers were staying home to watch anniversary coverage on television.
"We've only had three people in here all day," said Anna Seiley, manager at Music Trader on University Avenue. "We'd usually have 12 to 15 customers by now."
Neighborhood Healthcare in Escondido also reported an unusual drop in traffic. In the morning, no one was waiting in the urgent-care clinic, which is usually teeming with patients, said Dr. Phil Yphantides, medical director.
Also, only half of the patients with scheduled appointments kept them. Yphantides speculated that people were watching the commemorations on TV or were afraid of renewed terrorist activity.
School officials reported only isolated absences. "Several schools had at least one family call to say they were doing something for 9/11 or the kids were staying home because they knew someone who had died (in the attacks)," said Sharon Raffer, director of communications for Poway Unified.
At the San Diego Zoo, attendance was normal, said spokeswoman Yadira Gallindo. Guests said they were aware of security alerts issued by the government, but not overly concerned about their own safety.
Not even Rhett Jones of San Diego, whose nephew died in the World Trade Center.
He was at the zoo on his day off with his 2-year-old granddaughter in tow. "I've been promising my granddaughter for a week to bring her here," Jones said.
Elsewhere in Balboa Park, the Museum of Photographic Arts saw a big jump in attendance for its 9/11-related main exhibition, "Without Borders: Transcending Terror."
It attracted 700 viewers between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. "We usually have just 100 in one day," said Amy Conrad, museum spokeswoman. "Because of 'Without Borders,' we are averaging 100 visitors an hour."
The museum also has a log for visitors to the exhibition to sign. By early afternoon, about four pages of comments had been written by people who – like much of San Diego County – remembered that awful day a year ago and then moved on.
