2014-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        Life in a city is so different from life in the countryside. The town bustles with people, cars, shops, and vendors. Even the lively atmosphere flourishes so distinctly in my peaceful neighborhood. And best of all, it's always this way, day and night, especially in a metropolitan city like New York City, or NYC, which never sleeps.

        NYC seemed chaotic. I stepped out of Penn Station and into another universe in Manhattan. A universe of tides of crowds, neon lights, and flashing TV screens. It was a universe without rest. Waves of people clashed repeatedly like a war, making it challenging to walk in a straight line.

        Our journey to Penn Station in NYC took almost three hours, and we were traveling directly from my home in the Greater Philadelphia area. During this precious time, Mom and I drove to Metropark in Edison, NJ, and then transferred to the next train to NYC. It was a tiring trip, even though I spent the entire time tapping on my iPad. But now, the easy part was over. We had to navigate from 32^nd Street to 48^th Street and then strode from 7^th Ave. to 5^th Ave. It became way, way more complicated than it sounded. They're the people in business suits and party dresses walking like machines, fast and unstoppable. I was tossed around in the vast crowds like a toy in a child's hands. Fortunately, I held on to Mom's hand with a grip that could probably bend titanium. As much as walking safely through NYC was a priority, sightseeing was another. Bulletin boards advertised various products and new technologies, while TV screens displayed even more elaborate ads, especially in Times Square. It was full of skyscrapers, tower monitors, and splendid glamour. I couldn't imagine what the night would look like. One I saw kept coming up, which was about the new Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, which came out today. Too bad Mom and I didn't put the movie theater on our list. Finally, our destination came into view. The Chinese authentic Szechuan restaurant Wu Liang Ye was just a block away. My spirit was re-ignited as we picked up the pace.

        The smell was so intense inside the restaurant that I could almost taste it. Mom and I sat down and pulled out menus. After taking a quick scan, however, I let Mom choose independently. Fifteen minutes later, five dishes appeared on our table. Instantly, I knew I had made a grave mistake. Mom selected so many appetizers that the main courses weren't even necessary. There were Sliced Beef tendons with Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, Ox Tongue and Tripe with Roasted Chili Peanut Vinaigrette, Sichuan Pork Dumplings with Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, Dan Dan Noodles with Minced Pork in Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, and Garlic Spinach. I gorged so much that my mouth was set on fire, and my stomach hurt. But the spicy food made me feel delicious.

        To me, NYC is one heck of a place. It's hard to even think about living here after experiencing the countryside. Nevertheless, New York is New York.

【紅霞譯】

        城裡生活與鄉下生活截然不同，不僅人口密集汽車喧囂，而且商店林立小攤成堆，都市氣氛總是熱鬧火爆，絲毫沒有荒郊野外那般靜謐安寧。顯然，像紐約“新野豬公爵”市這樣的大都會無論白天黑夜始終生機勃發，堪稱名符其實的不夜城。

        紐約市看上去熙熙攘攘，我剛從賓夕法尼亞“山林”車站邁出，便立刻陷入另外一個世界，仿佛劉姥姥進大觀園，滿處新鮮玩藝，叫人看得眼花繚亂。曼哈頓“弓島”車水馬龍，霓虹燈流光溢彩，廣告屏發布最新快報，全城上下根本沒有片刻消停。街頭巷尾更是人潮洶湧，不時地交互碰撞在一起，穿梭於繁華地段宛若奔赴戰場衝鋒陷陣，人們根本無法保持直線行進。

        從位於大費城“兄弟之愛”地區的敝家門口出發直奔紐約市賓夕法尼亞車站單程需要耗掉大約三個鐘頭，在這段寶貴的時間裡，我和媽媽先得驅車開往新澤西“草”州都會公園火車站，然後繼續轉乘州內通勤火車，雖說除了狂玩蘋果平板電腦別無它事可做，一路下來還是非常辛苦，但這不過僅僅是個開頭，後面很快就失去這番輕鬆的感覺。接下來我們必須從32街到48街縱行跋涉12條街，再由第七大道徒步橫穿至第五大道，說來容易做來難。瞧大街上，西裝筆挺皮鞋鋥亮的男士疾若流星，身着禮服腳踩高跟鞋的女士箭步如飛，個個像台跑動器快速地朝前趕路，人人身體力行勢不可擋。我被擠在中間隨波逐流，猶如捏在小孩子手中的玩具被任其擺布，幸好我緊緊拽住媽媽那隻堅如磐石的手臂，才不至於流離轉徙迷失於茫茫人海之中。交通安全固然隱患重重，但城市風光確實無以倫比，街道兩旁電子布告既有介紹各種產品的，又有宣傳新型科學技術的，更有隨時提供最新報道的。時代廣場獨領風騷，摩天大樓、電視屏幕塔、奇光異色，我簡直無法想像夜景該是何等瑰麗。走着走着，今天剛好上映的好萊塢新片《穴居人：五軍之戰》巨幅廣告逐漸映入眼帘，遺憾的是我們並無閒暇將它納入當日行程計劃。終於，目的地與我們遙遙相望，口碑叫絕的中國四川美食酒家——“五梁液”近在咫尺。我頓時情緒振奮，重新邁出矯健的步伐。

        “五梁液”餐廳內部味道格外誘人，空氣中香氣四溢，我和媽媽拾位而坐，拿起堂吃食譜研讀起來，略微掃視了一番，我決定放手讓媽媽全權點餐。15分鐘過後，五大碟瓷盤呈現桌前，我立刻意識到自己犯下嚴重錯誤，想不到媽媽一口氣竟然要來這麼多開胃頭台﹕麻辣牛筋、夫妻肺片、龍抄手、擔擔麵，結果主餐蒜蓉菠菜成了多餘。我不管三七二十一大塊朵頤，嗓子辣得冒火，肚子撐得難受，但嘴巴麻得過癮。

        對我來說，紐約市好壞兼容，習慣了鄉下自然節律，很難把自己的天地鎖定在靡麗的樊籠里，但不管怎樣紐約就是與眾不同。

Today in History(歷史上的今天):

2014: A Wandering Life in Midtown NYC(浪跡紐約中城)

2013: Hindu in Mangalore, India(印度黎明城印度教寺廟)

2012: Easter Island—Navel of the World, CHL(智利復活節島—地球的肚臍)

2009: 新西蘭天籟之聲(Sounds of Heaven, NZ)

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree 

(洛克菲勒“黑麥田”中心聖誕樹 12-17-2014)

Rockefeller Plaza (黑麥田廣場 09-11-1993)

Channel Gardens toward the Christmas Tree

(通往聖誕樹的海峽花園 12-17-2014)

St. Patrick's Cathedral in the Mid-19th-Century Decorated Neo-Gothic

(聖帕特里克“尊貴”大教堂·19世紀中期裝飾性新哥特式 12-17-2014)

St. Patrick's Cathedral w/ the Northern Tower Containing 19 Bells

(聖帕特里克大教堂·北塔內有19口鍾 09-11-1993)

Bas Relief above Bronze Doors of St Patrick's Cathedral

(聖帕特里克大教堂·青銅大門上方的淺浮雕 05-14-1994)

The Organ w/ over 7,800 Pipes @ St. Patrick's Cathedral

(聖帕特里克大教堂·擁有超過7,800根音管鐘琴)

Wu Liang Ye, the Authentic Sichuan Cuisine Brought the Heat to a Brownstone in the Shadow of Rockefeller Center

(五糧液川味酒家·在洛克菲勒中心影子下褐石建築中帶來正宗川菜辛辣美味 12-17-2014)

夫妻肺片與紅油抄手、紅油牛筋

Crosslinks(相關博文):

USA(出遊美國)

6th Grade(初中一年級)