Yeah, I definitely needed this break from the cold walks to class and pretty much every where else outside my dorm. Guys, winter is not fun. Coming from a hot and humid place like Malaysia, we Malaysians tend to think that the cold weather and snow will be the manifestation of our virtual utopia. But, once you start feeling the chilling winds brushing past your ears, you'll know why Winter sucks.
Anyway, I had a month off and had nothing planned out. And then, one day while having lunch in the dining hall, Jessica invited me over to her place in Long Island, New York for the break. I was ecstatic because I had never been to New York prior to that and I have always wanted to the the Times Square and the Statue of Liberty.
The drive was boring because there were pretty much just trees all around us. Oh yeah, talking about the drive. Yup, I got a free ride to NY because Jessica's boyfriend dropped by from Buffalo to pick her up and go to Long Island, and I got a free ride!
Nightfall was approaching when I finally saw some signs of the city. In the distance, I could see a few planes hovering around city. To me, it seemed like a few choppers were hovering around to shoot Godzilla or something. Jessica then told me that those planes are actually waiting to land in the world's busiest airport, The John F. Kennedy airport in New York City. That's crazy.
And finally, after a 5 hour drive, we reached Jessica's house. And, that was the start of my food fiesta. Jessica's parents own a Chinese restaurant, and they live above it. Usually, when Jessica visits them during the breaks, they cook awesome pawsome Malaysian food for her. This time, I was there for a share of it too. I mean, when you're starved of tasty food for months and then showered with amazing Malaysian food, you have to be in seventh heaven. It was so satisfying.
Well, the initial plan was for me to stay at their place until their family decides to go for a family trip. Jessica told me that I would be able to stay at her place for maybe a week or two. But the next day, Jessica had to move me to her uncle's place in Flushing because her relatives from Malaysia were visiting and there wasn't enough rooms at her place. And then, she told me that her family was planning to go for the trip in 2 days. Well, I had to leave New York so much sooner than expected. Yeah, it was kinda messed up, and I was a little disappointed, but I wasn't going to complain because Jessica was kind enough to invite me to her place in the first place. So, I immediately booked a ticket to Connecticut to visit my mum's friend the next day.
That night, Jessica and her boyfriend sent me to her uncle's place in Flushing. Again, I was showered with an awesome lunch before I left Jessica's place. Her mum also packed some sushi (yes, they also have sushi at the restaurant) for dinner. Food wise, I was extremely happy. Travelling wise, not so much. YET.
Jessica's uncle and I had a good conversation over dinner about Malaysia and especially about our hometown because we come from pretty much the same place. After we were done with the sushi, his uncle offered to take me to Flushing town.
Well, Flushing is as Chinese as a Chinatown can get in America. Even some of their road signs are in Chinese. You can get anything East Asian in Flushing. Malaysian food? There are 4 Malaysian restaurants (Sadly, because of my short stay, I couldn't try any of those). So, once we got down from the bus, he gave me his monthly pass and told me to go wherever I wanted to and get back to his place any time I wanted.
So, I just started a slow walk along the streets as Jessica's uncle went somewhere to join his group of friends. I was starting to become bored because there was pretty much nothing that I could do other than eat. And then, I found exactly what I was hoping to see. The Flushing subway station!
I went into the station and ran my fingers over the map. It took me a while but I eventually found the station that I was looking for. And, it was a direct train from Flushing. It was a sudden decision, a sudden burst of adrenaline, and sudden prompt in my head. It was time to do Jessica's uncles kindness some justice.
Well, he gave me his monthly pass for a reason. One tap/swipe/insertion (I can't recall) of the pass and I was on the way to the city that never sleeps. For the first time in my life, I was on a NY Subway, something that I had only seen on television prior to that ride. As the subway snaked it's way towards the city, I could make out the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building. I can clearly remember that of those buildings were lit in pink that night. A few minutes later, the automated voice announced "Times Square".
The subway station itself was filled with street performers and interested onlookers but I wasn't there that night for that. I found the right exit and made my way up the stairs. The moment I stepped outside, I knew I was there.
Lights, huge neon billboards on all four sides, throngs of excited people, gigantic buildings, police horses, street performers, half-naked santa claus despite the freezing temperature, guy asking for donation to buy weed, H&M tower, huge movie posters, Broadway shows, more lights, The Stairs where Spidey fought Electro and just the atmosphere. There was something to see, something happening at every corner I could see. So, this is it. Finally, I was there at the infamous New York Times Square.
I tried to soak in the atmosphere but it was just insane. There were a bazillion things happening there that night even though the temperature was 0 degree Celcius. I took tons of pictures of the different buildings. After sometime, I decided to put away my phone and just embrace the ambiance in the air.
While I was there, I got a call from Jessica. Oh yeah, Jessica was supposed to bring me to Times Square the next day before I left for Connecticut. Thank heavens I impulsively and intuitively decided to make the trip to Times Square that night. She called to tell me that she had to leave for Buffalo that night because she just received an email regarding her permanent status application. So, she was actually planning to pick me up from her uncle's place and take me to Times Square that night to make up for her busy schedule. Since I was already there, she joined me in Times Square.
After some New York pizza, we walked to Bryant Park. There was an open ice skating rink there but it was closed. Well, the whole place was closed off because it was kinda late into the night. But, that didn't stop us from sneaking in and getting some pics with the beautiful decoration. And then, Jessica said goodbye and I took the subway back to Flushing.
The next morning, before leaving Flushing, Jessica's uncle made me some delicious wan tan mee. That was my first wan tan mee in months and it kinda reminded me of home. Jessica's uncle's humble and caring nature reminded me so much of home.
Regrets? Well, I was disappointed that I missed out on Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. They were all just a few subway stations away, but I didn't have the time. But, I knew that I was definitely coming back some time in the future to see other parts of New York. Times Square was a great start to more adventures in the Big Apple. Now, it was time for a homely Connecticut adventure!
