2014-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        The air was cold and crisp when I walked out of Wu Liang Ye Chinese Restaurant. The busy streets in Midtown Manhattan seemed as crazy as ever. Mom and I, with full stomachs, got in with the crowd's current. The next stop she had planned was the famous Rockefeller Center, just around the corner. It sounded great because my stomach was three times heavier than usual. As we turned onto 5^th Ave., I first saw a gigantic Christmas tree that coincidentally came from my home state of PA. The Norway spruce sparkled and twinkled in the sunlight, adorned with shiny ornaments and 45,000 LED lights. It would probably become the tallest Christmas tree I had ever seen, and a silver star shone brighter than a light bulb perched on the very top of the leafy decoration set. The second thing I noticed was a vast gilded gold Prometheus statue at the skating rink. He was in a kneeling position, bringing fire to humanity. Only then did I see one of the most obvious things just before my face, the Channel Gardens, with statues playing trumpets in the air to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

        St. Patrick's Cathedral, under renovation, was located across the street from Rockefeller Center. Its facade looked great with a tall and pointy tower, but on the inside, I could tell that it was a long way from being finished. Polished stone columns supported a grand arch ceiling. Bright, colorful glass pictures dotted the roof, and a gleaming golden altar sat in the center of the church. Most parts were wrapped in a fail or supported by a steel scaffold, and the workers were still busy cleaning it. I hope it will be over soon, because I think it will look amazing once it's done.

        Every year around Christmas, Saks 5^th Avenue, a top-notch department store, sets up a spectacular window show. Each window tells a different story, and people line up in front of the windows to enjoy the view. By the looks of it, this year's theme would be fairy tales. There were scenes of Cinderella with a shoe, Sleeping Beauty with the poison apple, and many more. They also had a short sentence or two in the center of the window to introduce the background. They told a piece of the story... just changing the beginning to "Once upon a Time in NYC"… My favorite would probably be "Once Upon a Time in NYC". Sleeping Beauty was getting used to the city that never sleeps. That was absolute praise, eliciting a tiny laugh from me. I suppose New Yorkers certainly have a sense of humor.

        Macy always puts up a window showing every year, too. Both stores are kicking the bar high for each other. Macy's theme displayed a boy looking through a telescope at each planet. The Planets all had something Christmassy on them. Venus appeared as bright as the sun, while Neptune sat quietly with a dark blue color. Mars was as red as ever, yet Mercury couldn't get hotter. Uranus was as cool as ice cream, and Jupiter, a massive ball of fiery colors, loomed over all the other planets.

        NYC is a vacation hotspot for sights, sounds, and tastes. It is a unique, one-of-a-kind city that can't be disrespected.

【红霞译】

        当我走出华馆五粮液酒家时，外面寒气袭人，只见曼哈顿“弓岛”中城依然人声鼎沸，我和妈妈酒足饭饱，巴不得走上街头投身到滚滚洪流中消肥减瘦。下一站妈妈带我去的地方是举世闻名的洛克菲勒“黑麦田”中心，实际上五粮液酒家与洛克菲勒中心相距甚近，出门拐个弯没几步路远，听起来正合我意，更何况咱眼下肚子胀得要命，比从前差不多又肥出了三圈。我们转到第五大道，巨大无比的圣诞树抢先进入视线，说来真巧，今年这棵挪威云杉来自宾州老家，此时早已披上了节日盛装，四万五千只华灯齐放，无愧为我有生以来亲眼所见最高的圣诞树。树的顶端一颗光芒四射的银星分外夺目，让电灯泡黯然失色。洛克菲勒中心溜冰场内，大型镀金雕像普罗米修斯“先见”斜跪在地，将圣火带给人间。接下来再往前看，街心花园里有不少人物造型正手握小号仰天齐鸣，共同欢庆圣诞节与阳历新年的到来。

        洛克菲勒中心正对面为尊贵圣徒大教堂，目前仍处于维修状态。其外观尖塔高耸、内部结构尚未重整完毕，新打磨出来的尖肋石柱支撑着庞大拱顶，花窗玻璃明亮通天, 教堂中央的祭坛金光闪闪，但绝大部分建筑不是被裹得严严实实，就是上了金属脚手架，工人们正紧张地进行清理工作。我期盼能早日修复原样，到时定会面目一新。

        每年圣诞节期间, 美国高档百货商场萨克斯“剪刀”第五大道设有令人交口称道的橱窗展览，而各个橱窗都向观众讲述不同的故事，人们可以排队依次走到窗前尽饱眼福。从外观布局上不难发现，今年的主题与童话传说相关，譬如：灰姑娘与一只鞋、睡美人与毒苹果等等。玻璃上标有一两句字幕，为大家提供背景知识。每个童话故事的开头全被改成“从前在纽约”。我个人比较喜欢这种形式，“睡美人”用来赞誉纽约这座不夜城确实恰如其分，我觉得蛮有意思，纽约人挺有幽默感的。

        梅西“武器”百货商场也有类似的展览，两家各显神通，其水平越来越高。今年梅西借助一位男孩用望远镜观摩天体行星来揭示圣诞节无处不在。金星像太阳那么明亮，而海王星带有暗蓝色的深沉；火星一向红彤彤的，而水星总是热乎乎的；天王星像冰淇淋一样凉爽，而木星宛若火热的彩球映照其它所有行星。

        纽约本身堪称旅游胜地，无论从视觉、听觉还是味觉上都能满足各路群英。它独具特色，令人难以忘却。

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2014: A Wandering Life in Rochefeller Ctr NYC(浪迹纽约洛克菲勒中心)

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

2012: Easter Island—Navel of the World, CHL(智利复活节岛—地球的肚脐)

2009: 新西兰天籁之声(Sounds of Heaven, NZ)

Starbucks Cafe @ Barnes & Noble 

(巴诺“谷仓—高贵”书店·星巴克“大杯”咖啡厅 12-17-2014)

Columbus Day Parade on 5^th Ave 

(第五大道哥伦布“鸽子”日游行 10-11-1993)

Times Square, the Center of the Universe 

(时代广场·宇宙中心 12-17-2014)

Times Square, the Crossroads of the World

(时代广场·世界十字路口 12-17-2014)

Times Square, the Heart of the World (时代广场·地球之心)

East 43^rd Street w/ Chrysler Bldg in the Background

(东43街·背景为克莱斯勒“陀螺” 12-17-2014)

Chrysler Bldg in the 20^th-Century Art Deco 

(克莱斯勒大厦·20世纪装饰艺术风格)

Empire State Building in the 20^th-Century Art Deco

(帝国大厦·20世纪装饰艺术风格)

The Lobby of the Empire State Bldg

(帝国大厦·大厅 09-18-1993)

4 Times Square, a Postmodernist Skyscraper

(时代广场四号·后现代主义摩天大楼)

Crosslinks(相关博文):

USA(出游美国)

6th Grade(初中一年级)