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Published: October 5th 2008
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A park in Brooklyn
Notice the graffiti of Black heroes Seeing Brooklyn
I have seen very little of Brooklyn but it was enough to convince me of its rich diversity of people and culture. I visited Aileen who happens to live and work in Brooklyn. We exchanged a hefty amount of stories to catch up with each other -- 10 years is a long time!
As we walk along
Nostrand Ave, I notice convenience stores and ethnic restaurants constantly next to each other -- Jamaican, African, Chinese, etc. Although the streets did not currently look crowded, I think it is safe to assume that Brooklyn is quite densely populated.
Spaghetti Subway
We walked down to
Winthrop St Subway Station to get to the other island -- Manhattan. Here they call it the MTA, while back in Chicago, we call it the CTA. They may sound the same but MTA is way larger and way more complicated than CTA! I am overwhelmed with NY's spaghetti subway, but hey, the system works! It is truly complicated compared to what I am used to in Chicago. I learned from Aileen's friends that there's a simple way to remember a street in Manhattan. When a street ends with "Street",
it goes from East to West, but when it ends with "Avenue", it goes from North to South. That night, I peeped into a map I printed out from Google Maps and wanted to say,
"Oo nga noh!" (You're right!)
We took off the train at 51st Street. As we walked towards
Central Park, I saw the
Carnegie Hall. What instantly sprung out of my mind was my childhood memory of reading my dad's book, "How to Influence People and Make Friends" by Dale Carnegie. But I decided against assuming that this building is named after that Carnegie when I noticed the posters that were all about the arts and classical music.
A Walk to Remember
Walking in Central Park is a walk to remember. Cheezy, ei! My cousins took me around Central Park days ago but due to time constraints, we did not get the chance to walk inside. I am glad Aileen was more than willing to take me there for a relaxing stroll.
I am simply fascinated by the fact that we were walking on greens and inhaling fresh air while still being surrounded by huge buildings. Back in my uncle's
house is a thick book all about Central Park and now I am starting to feel why such a park would deserve such attention.
I adore nature. That's probably why I am so easily won over by this big and welcoming park. It is also teeming with artistic sculptures and fountains and bridges. It was very huge that one may take the pedicab to go around the park!
Enchanting Fountain
My roomate and I have recently seen the musical film
Enchanted so I requested Aileen to take me to that fountain where they shot part of the movie. It's called the
Bethesda Fountain which was actually dry when we saw it. Understandably, they turn the fountain off in the winter. Atop the fountain was a tall angel and below her are four cherubs.
Strawberry Fields Forever
I am not so much of a Beatles fan but I wanted to see for myself the popular
Strawberry Fields which is a patch of landscape in Central Park in memory of John Lennon. I did some homework prior to this trip and learned that
Strawberry Fields is Yoko Ono's "work of art" where she
asked for rocks and stones from friends from all over the world and put them in one place to symbolize world peace and harmony.
A crowd hustled over the
Imagine Circle leaving flowers, pictures, or just anything fans would like to leave there. There was a short Christmas tree right there, a used guitar, lots of pictures, and even a teddy bear.
I know I would have appreciated the place more if I were a Beatles fan but I appreciate the power of music. It brings people together. Why would people even bother to remember John Lennon? People have different opinions about him but all that matters is that he was able to promote a good.
We crossed
72nd Street to
Dakota which is John Lennon's apartment. It is also where he got murdered. The apartment had gargoyles around it.
Repeat 5 Times: "Madison Square Garden"
Aileen asked me what I wanted to see next. I replied,
Madison Square Garden. I am glad she did not ask why because I have a very shallow reason. I watched Rush Hour 2 up to its credits where Jackie Chan had a blooper having a hard
time pronouncing, "Madison Square Garden". He tried several times to get it right and since then, those words kept ringing in my head.
Aileen explains that it was not really a garden. It is just a building where some sport is being played, along with various shops. She was right. I really did not know what to expect. But I am happy to just see the place. But I was giddy when we met up with another friend, She, whom I have never seen for more than 10 years!
An Octopus Almost Killed Me
I have never mentioned this to anyone, not even my mom, but I almost choked on an octopus! Aileen, She, and I had lunch at Wonjo, a Korean restaurant in
34th Street. (They say 34th Street is also known as
K-town or
Korean Town.)
We were served raw beef and raw baby octopus. Embedded on our table is a grill where we could cook these to our liking. The grill is surrounded by a plethora of sidings from spinach to radish to kimchi (ofcourse) and bean sprouts. To my excitement (and laziness - hehe!), I put a whole baby octopus
At Central Park
A view of a humble pedicab and the huge metropolitan buildings of NY in my mouth. I figured that if I chew long enough, I would be able to swallow the octopus and not have to bother using my knife to cut it to pieces. Lazy, huh! I chewed and chewed, and wanted to talk so I decided to just swallow the thing... and then... I almost choked. I think a tear or two almost trickled down my cheek but thankfully, I was able to swallow it and say a little prayer of gratitude that I am still alive!
The three of us kept on talking throughout the meal. It really is difficult to catch up with each other after a decade of not even talking to each other!
No Tax?! For real?
We went to Old Navy and I bought sweaters that were on sale (50%!d(MISSING)iscount! YEY!). I looked at my receipt in disbelief. No sales tax?! Is this for real? I thought NY had the highest sales tax in the US! I said to myself I should have bought more sweaters then but I do not have enough time. I need to catch a flight this evening.
It was so crowded! I had to
keep an eye on my companions or else I will get lost like a needle in a haystack! Everyone is walking towards or out of the stores due to the Christmas shopping rush.
Despite an elbow-bumping, crowded walk along 34th, Aileen took me to
Macy's Herald Square. Its sign says it is the world's largest department store. There were pretty Christmas-themed windows around it. We stepped inside and gazed upon a beautiful array of long Christmas wreaths that line the ceiling of the main corridor. The long wreaths were lined with poinsettia and highlighted with red star-shaped lanterns. Merry Christmas!
Trivia: This is the store where Rachel Ray worked. (Haha, now you know what my current hobby is about!)
It was time for me to go back to
Manhasset then head to the
ISLIP Airport. We took a short walk to the
Penn Station where I will be taking the
Port Washington line
alone. I was not scared at all because I took this same train a few days ago with Sheila when we went to see the
Statue of Liberty (see
Meeting Lady Liberty). But before I hopped into the train, I bought some focaccia from a bakery
in the station. I could not resist the smell of bakeries!
I was a bit saddened by the fact that I had so little time to enjoy New York. I have learned to love it and I think I will always be mesmerized by it's multi-faceted nature.
Atleast, I have my focaccia bread to chew on as I once more relish my last day in Manhattan.
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