6/12 -
Fancy that I am taking Amtrak for the first time. The Richmond station is really a small boarding place with the minimum amenities. Passengers are mostly elderly, blacks and young students. The train is Regional 94, stopping almost every station. People coming after the Washington DC station are totally different, all businessmen, well suited, professional (litigation) bags, all with the corporate looks. Seatings are very busy and the trains are more like the metros in cities from DC, to Baltimore, Philadelphia, Wilmington Delaware, Trenton NJ, Newark and finally NY Penn Station.
I walk out of the station from underground, and immediately I am in the middle of the massive people crowd in the busiest street of NYC. It is very overwhelming, and I was not mentally prepared to turn the switch between city and suburb. For one second in my life, I am a little scared, but here it is, I put myself back to the city mode, it is decisiveness, determination and money talks. I wait in the taxi line outside for 15min and get onto a cab to my hosting place.
6/13 -
I live on the 46E street, right beside the Trump Tower, within 5min walk to UN. I thought I hadn't gotten a tour inside UN, so I go up there first thing in the morning. Then my memories seem to pick up that I had been to the tour in my 1st visit. Anyway, the tour guide is a lovely Korean girl, young graduate, very cute face, nice and professional figure also very naive and innocent speeches about poverty, disarmament and environment ...
On a different day, I walk over to the middle of the 1st Ave where me and my parents stood over and watch the traffic go through the underground tunnel. Dad was loving the place, as I recall, and I feel so much and so much for him ... but he is not coming back ...
I walk along the 1st Ave to the 42 street and turn over towards Lexington for the Grand Central metro station.
Lunch time, I take the train up to Flushing, trying very hard to find the shabby place where we stayed in 2000. Everything changes, but finally I find the overpass and the HongKong market gives me senses of directions that lead me there.
MET is my second stop. It is huge. As usual, the most interesting art pieces are religious paintings and sculptures that tell biblical or real histories. Very grandeurs, very powerful and ton of pleasures, and I start fancying myself to be an art person to be born with. I purchased a couple gifts for Mom, a flower calender and some Christmas cards.
At 5:30pm, I sit down in the St. Patrick church for a mass. Light up a candle for Dad. The church is Catholic, situated in the corner of 50th street and 5th Ave.
6/14 -
This is my shopping day. First is Century 21, a discount store in the corner of Cortland and Broadway. Taking the metro #4/5 will get you there. I am totally disappointed with the place, like Marshall's or TJ Max, clothes are badly displayed, and most designer pieces are still priced above $150. I end up with three easy tops for $81.
Lunch is in China Town, 3/4 blocks to Mott Str, then Huster, it is the XO eating place. I order the most delicious fishball, lettuces porridge.
Afternoon and dinner times are the best with a dear friend Wang Ju. We girls spend four hours in just two shops, H&M and Zara. She introduced me to high waste skirts that I would never dream of wearing. The skirts are perfect and perfect, and I cannot refuse buying them.
6/15 -
Ground zero. Hardly any progress that the construction hardly surfaced above the ground.
Wall Street -
