New York USA 美国纽约 8/2014

8/2014. New York is such a melting pot. It is easy to feel out of place if you come from a homogeneous country. Whatever shades or colors you come in, you can find your place here. Most speak one common language, many spiced with exotic accents. Others utter in utterly indecipherable sounds, as though speaking in tongues. They are louder, more expressive—they speak to be heard, with confidence but not unbridled. They dress with an attitude, deliberately non-conforming, to stand out, to be noticed.

New York is a melting pot of all good food from any country imaginable. Naturally, they look well-fed, some a bit more than others. It is a city indulgent in the pursuit of fun, enjoyment, and money, day and night. I think I really could have a ball of a time here. If only I had come when I was much younger.

I marveled at how intact the buildings were, often seeming to look tip-top, though many are already decades old. I did not see many unwelcome ads, or loose pieces desperately trying to hang onto the building for dear life, or cables that jutted out of nowhere, or the dirty laundry aired in public. Decades-old they may be, with tender loving care, they stand tall and stand out in this city. The newer modern architectures are particularly impressive indeed, look classy and stylish, dashing and arrogant. They truly make NY look good.

Truth be told, I was only good enough to go to a night school after high school. When I had the opportunity to tour an Ivy League university, Columbia University, in the city, I thought that might be the next best thing. The campus was impressive, looking smart for smart, young people. The brainwaves in the air started to interfere with my brain. Many luminaries have graduated from here, including presidents. I was told the female students were protesting against the university by parading with their mattresses on campus. This is the place they build character, teach our young values, so they tell us. Maybe that’s why the U.S. is now an unequaled superpower.

The Highline is an elevated, disused train track that was converted into a strolling platform above ground, running for 1.5 miles between building blocks in the busy city. The bridge is decorated to be a secluded garden walkway above ground, a place of solace in the heart of the city. Performers entertain, stalls sell crafts, other snacks, and refreshments. It has its own pace. You define your own pace. You are in your own world, watching the world below goes by. The feeling is sublime, so out of this world.

The Chelsea Market is such a reflection of the melting pot NY is. It is vibrant, full of hustle and bustle, filled with locals and aliens, selling savories and merchandise that are varied and distinctive. One of the shops, already choked full of people, all eying the lobsters in the tanks. The crustaceans protested as they were taken out of their swimming pool and into a pot boiling like hell. After waiting for a few minutes, I got what I asked for; the poor thing wriggled no more, its eyes stopped staring at me. I tore into it at my standing table. It was so tender, so succulent, so delicious. My conscience did not speak to me until I burped.

I have crossed many bridges in life, but few are as friendly as the Brooklyn Bridge. It is right in the city, but cars are not the only ones that have the right of way. I strolled on it at my own pace, oblivious to the traffic around me. It was a wet day, but it was not a bad day to see the city in a different light. The bridge is old, built in 1883. It was a magical walk of American nostalgia, going back a hundred years.

If one wants to see a kaleidoscope of the U.S. and New York, Broadway is the place to go. This is the place where almost anything goes. There are normal people, there are also cartoon characters, there are locals, but there are also many aliens. There are real-life dramas, but there are also staged dramas. As daylight dims, the mood changes; everything becomes more mellow. The mood becomes more subdued, relaxed, romantic. On the main street, the dark night becomes even more colorful, the neon lights continue to flash, to hypnotize and seduce those eyeballs. Darkness may be a cover for more indulgences.

Toward the evening, the Brooklyn Bridge Park is such an oasis to unwind. Facing the sea, with the Manhattan skyscrapers in the background, the city skyline at night is magical. While many were just gearing up to party through the night, many locals were also out strolling on the shore, enjoying the gentle evening breeze, admiring the city skyline, its back still glowing with city lights. This was a picture of a city now ready to refresh itself for the next day. It may be the big apple; it really does not feel so impersonal.

While waiting on the subway platform, I suddenly caught sight of two bright spots bouncing along the dark train tracks below. I stooped forward; two mice, probably a loving couple, each carrying a doughnut, the two circles still complete, along the track, presumably homeward. If I had waited longer, I could have witnessed them next, carrying off a cup of Starbucks to go with it, so they could enjoy dunking their doughnut. The tracks were dark and grotty, the subway pretty dated, even outdated; above ground, everything looked spot-on, underneath, a bit chequered. However, this was the land of the American dreams, even for the mice.

I couldn’t help singing, “New York…. New York………………”

纽约是个大杂烩；各型各色民族，好像都在这里会合。你如少出国门，甚至会感觉这里鱼龙混杂，不习惯这场面。这就是这国家的气度；一个移民国家，招贤纳士，或避难所，海纳百川，欢迎到此淘金。虽然通用英语，但参差不齐，又各配乡音腔调，像联合国讲台。他们语气自信，不在别人面前低声下气，他们有意见，希望你洗耳恭听；外表包装表标新立异，表现自我，吸引眼球；吃喝也应有尽有，迎合五湖四海口味，任何口袋；且分量相对夸张，难怪不少都吃到丰满。这是个追求金钱，尽情享乐的地方。这就是美国梦。

纽约街头楼房很多至少几十年至上百，但保养完美无瑕，处巅峰状态。少见东张西挂的广告，大庭广众晾晒自己的内衣裤，或风雨飘摇的欲坠物，或千丝万缕的电缆抛头露面。纽约的新楼设计更是美观大方，气派十足，艺术家的审美观，展现人类先进步伐，展现里外自豪感。在这里漫游，我赶上时代，赶上潮流。

今天有机会参观纽约一名校大学园，体会美国高等学院学术风气。实说我年轻时脑子不机灵，只读夜校；这次游大学园，看着年轻学霸和整齐学楼，感受大学风范，自卑得到少许安慰。听说女学生们那时在校园拉着床垫游行抗议校方对女生诉求视若无睹。几位国家总统从这里毕业，成绩如何可能是国家机密；他们旨在铸造性格，高尚信念，不止给你一张赚钱的文凭。

纽约曼哈顿高线非常独特，是一条废弃的铁道，没被拉倒，在高架上穿梭曼哈顿闹市大楼间，热心人士合力改造成休闲高架公园。虽在闹市，却闹中取静；市中周围日常运转，人们高架上我行我素，悠闲自在。桥上有献艺的，卖小吃的，艺术品的，是室外的世外。

曼哈顿切尔西市场是纽约的缩影；这里汇集纽约居民和游客，不在购物，更在享受；不在意商品，在意新奇。一间海鲜店，挤满兴致勃勃人群，对着鱼缸和师傅指手画脚，气氛沸腾；这里专卖龙虾，这龙虾被拿出缸后，拳打脚踢，瞬间在沸水中活生生的成仁了。我站在挤满人群的狭长桌，开始肢解龙体；味道鲜美，沾些调料，吃得津津有味，没丝毫罪恶感。

跑过不少路，过不少桥，但纽约布鲁克林大桥别具风味。百年大桥，非汽车专用，人在上层，车在下层，以人为本。下层车水马龙，不干扰我悠闲漫步，回味纽约百年风光历史。

美国的繁华，奔放，百老汇大道就是缩影。这里好像没约束，好像什么都行。看到普通人，也看到虚构的；有真实生活写照，也有搬上银幕的；在现实抱着希望追求，遐想空间不限，梦想无限。夜色降临，白天的冲刺得以停息，情调变得柔和；街上爱人不语依偎；情侣餐厅烛光卿卿我我；但百老汇大道绽放灿烂霓虹灯，忙碌奔波一天后放松，都在夜晚掩盖下自由放纵。赚钱挥霍是这里资本主义的真谛。

夜幕开始下垂，布鲁克林大桥公园成为人们一天忙碌后松懈天地。面对海，曼哈顿林立高楼为背景，其背还亮着市内灯火；这大都市里人们乘机寻欢作乐，潇洒快活；其他在这里享清静，大都市的这里，一个人情社区；这城市放下忙碌，养精蓄锐，明天奋斗又重新开始。

在纽约地铁站台候车时，忽见两个亮点在台下乌黑轨道上蹦蹦跳跳；亮眼一看，两只老鼠，很奇妙，可能是两小恩爱，使劲各推着一个甜甜圈，可能回洞房慢慢享受。表面风光，地下基础设施有点逊色。但这是个圆梦的地方，连老鼠也能做美国梦。

我情不自禁哼起那首经典，“纽约。。。纽约。。。”。