Michael Kimmelman

Thank you, Michael. Pleasure to be here.

Thank you, Michael. Pleasure to be here.

So welcome. Well, better late than never, I hope. Yes.

So welcome. Well, better late than never, I hope. Yes.

I mean, I remember as a boy going with my family, and we had come from the Soviet Union, where I was unable to find milk. I was probably eight. Paris, it turns out, has milk. It was cold, but I do remember going into the cathedral and feeling somehow warmed when I went in there. So that was my first impression. I guess it stuck with me in some way.

I mean, I remember as a boy going with my family, and we had come from the Soviet Union, where I was unable to find milk. I was probably eight. Paris, it turns out, has milk. It was cold, but I do remember going into the cathedral and feeling somehow warmed when I went in there. So that was my first impression. I guess it stuck with me in some way.

Yeah, I think it does to millions and millions of people who have no religious connection to it. It was a place that people imagined they had to go to if they went to Paris. You didn't see Paris unless you went to Notre Dame.

Yeah, I think it does to millions and millions of people who have no religious connection to it. It was a place that people imagined they had to go to if they went to Paris. You didn't see Paris unless you went to Notre Dame.

I remember very vividly where I was. I was on my bike, rushing to an appointment on the west side of Manhattan. My phone rang, and it was an editor here at the Times who sounded a little frantic and told me I had to rush back and write something because Notre Dame was burning. And I thought he was crazy.

I remember very vividly where I was. I was on my bike, rushing to an appointment on the west side of Manhattan. My phone rang, and it was an editor here at the Times who sounded a little frantic and told me I had to rush back and write something because Notre Dame was burning. And I thought he was crazy.

Because Notre Dame has a giant stone building. I didn't think it could burn down, and it sounded sort of inconceivable. It's like Everest. It doesn't burn down. But the pyramids do not burn down. There you go. And I said, I'm sorry to tell you this, but his name is also Michael. So I said, Michael, that doesn't make sense. He said, I think you just better look on your phone. Right.

Because Notre Dame has a giant stone building. I didn't think it could burn down, and it sounded sort of inconceivable. It's like Everest. It doesn't burn down. But the pyramids do not burn down. There you go. And I said, I'm sorry to tell you this, but his name is also Michael. So I said, Michael, that doesn't make sense. He said, I think you just better look on your phone. Right.

And I went to find a live feed, and there it was.

And I went to find a live feed, and there it was.

I remember standing there on the corner, just frozen, staring at this sight, which seemed inconceivable. And then Twitter was just full of Pray for Paris hashtag and everybody was suddenly fixated.

I remember standing there on the corner, just frozen, staring at this sight, which seemed inconceivable. And then Twitter was just full of Pray for Paris hashtag and everybody was suddenly fixated.

It really was as if the world had stopped.

It really was as if the world had stopped.

It occurred to me at that moment, too, that's interesting. I mean, why? had the world stopped? Why did this building mean so much to so many different people? Not just people in France, but obviously all around the world. So I rushed back to my computer. I started making a few phone calls and trying to figure that out, trying to understand what the building had meant over time.

It occurred to me at that moment, too, that's interesting. I mean, why? had the world stopped? Why did this building mean so much to so many different people? Not just people in France, but obviously all around the world. So I rushed back to my computer. I started making a few phone calls and trying to figure that out, trying to understand what the building had meant over time.