Manhattan residents return home

Lugging their bags behind them, tearful residents of eight newly reopened buildings in lower Manhattan made their way home yesterday, as streets away firefighters continued picking through the debris of the World Trade Center.

The homecomings marked yet another step towards normality in the city, where mayoral candidates also gently resumed campaigning.

Joined by former President Bill Clinton at a news conference, Mayor Rudolph Giuliani stressed the need for New Yorkers to return to their daily lives.

‘We have got to get back to normal,’ Giuliani said.

The mayor joked that he found an encouraging sign when fans of the New York Jets booed the Atlanta Braves on Friday night during the first baseball game at Shea Stadium since the attacks.