Olympics bring the world together, even in Newark

Sitting in the Newark airport I can gaze out the window and see the Empire State Building and the rest of the skyscrapers in Manhattan. I can also see what’s missing – the World Trade Center.

Every time I see the New York skyline, I can’t help but feel saddened and angry.

But if I look away from the window, and turn toward the waiting area here at Gate C75, I can’t help but feel excited. There are Olympic athletes decked out in their red-and-white Puerto Rico garb and a larger group from Colombia clad in bright gold and blue uniforms.

There are plenty of Chinese people, of course, plus travelers from all corners of the globe headed to Beijing.

This is what the Olympics are all about – people from all over the world coming together. There is a buzz here. It’s electric, and it's only a fraction of what it will be like in Beijing.