New York welcomed us with a sunny blue sky the first day (Dec 22) we landed. As if the sun were brought with us from California, it disappeared the next days we were there. But the heat stayed on：）) New York turned out to be much warmer than we thought.
Our four days’ trip there was fully packed. We walked on an average of more than 20,000 steps, getting in and out of the old subways over a dozen times. We strolled along busily thronged streets, looking up at skyscrapers that look like clusters of shining jungles made by steel and glass. We visited museums and parks in the daytime, and watched glistering light shows at night. The famous Central Park impresses us with its sprawling open land. It must be a gem for Manhattaners, who work and live in high-rise buildings, dine in a tiny squeezed restaurant. This must be a place they could always retreat to breathe in fresh air and get away from the city’s hustle and bustle for a while.
To travelers like us, while the leafless trees under the sunny or gloomy skies are a true winter sight, the light show on Saks 5th Ave felt like a fantasy. It’s the best light show we‘ve ever seen, a lavish feast for eyes set to lively music. A bird’s view from the tram overlooking the city gives us a glimpse of the city intersected by the Hudson River, while the night at Times Square thrilled us with its overwhelmingly flaring billboards and its clamorous crowds. Jostling through them, we smelled the sweet food as well as the stirring wisps of marijuana.
On the train, we met a blue-collar worker sitting with a cart by his side, who in his broken English told us that he is from Mexico and has lived in New York for twenty years. We came across a white guy at Little Island, who stopped to talk to us in Chinese, telling us that he has been to China more than twenty times. His first visit was made in 1973, and he knew of Premier Zhou and Chairman Mao. At Manhattan, we invited a girl to dinner, listening to her stories at Columbia. On the day of our departure, we had lunch with old friends, who came from Northern CA to see their daughter in New York. Our trip to New York is enriched by these encounters.
From the boisterous crowds who cheerfully wriggle to the music beat, to an Indian playing sad flute music at the Central, to the filthy homeless people who sleep on the cold subway ground, New York may have many untold stories.
New York is a metropolis that appeals to young people around the globe. People with dreams come here in an attempt to find their places. New York welcomes and accomodates them, rich or poor. It's a vibrant city that beams with a beconing light.
