Trip to New York and New England

So I should write about my trip to New York and New England now.

Friday, 7/18/2008
Manhattan, New York City

I took the Chinatown bus from Washington DC to the Chinatown of Manhattan. I was taking a heavy bag of stuff, and walking along the Canal Street. You know it was the very first time these years that I really felt like I was in a city! I think I could not adjust immediately if I got back to Hong Kong now. I took the subway (but in DC we call it Metro, you know) to Times Square and got into the M&M store to buy something for my friend.

Flushing, the Chinatown of Queens

And then I met up with Patrick, a CUHK Physics guy, who works in HSBC in Times Square now. I went to the First Baptist Church of Flushing with him that night. Flushing is the Chinatown of Queens, and it is more like Hong Kong indeed when compared to the Chinatown of Manhattan. The traffic on road is just as horrible as DC.

Merrick, on Long Island

And Patrick took me from Flushing to Merrick, where Vivian lives. Vivian is my high school classmates and we had been in the same class in HKCWCC for seven years! I stayed at her house that night. Vivian is now working in Rohm and Haas, and was sent by the company to Long Island for job training. The company paid the rent of that extravagant single house and the Toyota Corrola for her!

Saturday, 7/19/2008
Stony Brook

This day is a fruitful day, as we travelled from Long Island to Connecticut all the way. Vivian added my name in the insurance. Then I drove her car to SUNY Stony Brook.

Of course, the most important thing for Stony Brook is the first Chinese Nobel Laureate in Physics, Chen-ning Yang. Although his marriage with Fang Weng is a bit controversial, his academic achievement in high energy physics and condensed matter physics is unbeatable. He published something last month at the age of 85 and his diligence and passion should be highly respected.

Me at the door of his office (well he is now in either Hong Kong or Beijing)

Port Jefferson
We then drove to Port Jefferson, which is just 15 minutes away from Stony Brook. We did not plan to see this nice port a lot, but we found that it is actually a very nice town. Frankly I like Port Jefferson more than Annapolis of Maryland.

We went there because we were going to take the ferry to Bridgeport, Connecticut. The ferry is not cheap actually, but it is very comfy. We stayed at the top of the ferry and simply let the wind blowing to our faces. I have never experienced such a windblow throughout my life!

Yale University
We got off the ferry at Bridgeport, and we drove to New Haven, at where the world-class Yale University is located. New Haven is actually quite an urban areaand later I was told that it is the only urban area of Connecticut. One of my CUHK physics classmates is going to study there!

We were excited by the hospitality of Xiao Zheng, my friend in University of Maryland but she is now doing her PhD there. Coincidentally she is working on topics related to what the boyfriend of Vivian in Oxford University is doing now.

Me and Xiao at the Women’s Table

Being an old seminary and an academically renowned Ivy League school, Yale University exhibits a distinct architecture.

Peabody Museum

Hall of Graduate Studies (no air-conditioning inside )

I don’t remember if it is a chapel……

Main Library of Yale…..
Indiana Jones 4 took scene from here too!!

Founder of Yale
Students believe that they can graduate by touching his foot!! Yay, I touched that too!

The famous Yale Law School
Bill Clinton went to school here!

Other architectures:

One more remark: you do not have to drive to New Haven if you want to visit there. You can take Metro North from the Grand Central Station in New York City to get here for 7 bucks.

Willimantic
After staying in New Haven for some time, we went to Willimantic to see Xiaoou. Willimantic is where the University of Connecticut is. At first I thought since Xiaoou does not have a car, I bet it is a place with good public transportation. But I was wrong. It is truly a very rural place.

We had dinner at Applebies, and then we went to the Mansfield State Park. Unlike other natural scenes in the United States, you would feel like you were in China if you stook by the lake.

I can tell it is a very boring place. At night, we watched the British movie, the Bank Job, at Zhu Chen’s place. We stayed there overnight.

Sunday, 7/20/2008
The Breakers

We got up very early in the morning. Vivian, Xiaoou and I headed off to the state of Rhode Island. After passing through a bridge, we entered the nice town of Newport. We headed to the Breakers, a mansion built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, a 19th century tycoon in New York.

Newport Bridge

Entrance of the mansion

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The Breakers

It was a pity that we were not allowed to take any pics inside the mansion. But the inside is just extravagant. And it is facing the Atlantic Oceam. Hence it is a good place for summer for sure. It is just a thing that showed that Vanderbilt was very rich. Unfortunately he has only stayed here for four summers.

Downtown Newport
After visiting the mansion, we had our lunch at the Gas Lamp Grille, a seafood restaurant in downtown Newport. The marinated steak tips was sooooo delicious. Of course the clam chowder is not bad.

Road Trip back to New York
After the lunch, we dropped off Xiaoou at Willimantic, and then Vivian and I went back to Merrick. Along the way we chatted a lot about our high school and different stuff. We crossed New Haven, and went down the I-95 to the Bronx. We crossed the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge to the Queens (for 4.5 bucks!!) and got to Merrick. I got off the car and Vivian drove back home. I took the Long Island Rail Road from Merrick to Woodside of Queens.

Merrick Station of Long Island Rail Road

Queens, New York City
I got off at the Woodside station, and it is now the city again. I had dinner in a restaurant, which looks like an ordinary restaurant in Hong Kong. Then I went to Chi-wang’s apartment and stayed there for one night.

Monday, 8/21/2008
Manhattan, New York City

I went out to the Manhattan again. It is my third visit. Sadly I did not have time to go to the museums.

World Trade Center…. remember 9/11?

Brooklyn Bridge (I know it is too small to see )

This time I finally got a chance to visit Columbia University, another Ivy League school.


Subway Station

The chapel

Pupin Physics Laboratory

I am not sure if it is the mascot…..

Main Library

The Grand Central station I’ve mentioned above:

At night, I had dinner at Chinatown in Mahnattan with Patrick, Chi-wang and Keith. All of us are CUHK physics guys.

Last time in November 2007 I visited the Metropolitan Museum, the Metro Center, NYU, the United Nations, Times Square and I think a number of things. This time I took more picures.

Tuesday, 8/22/2008
Chinatown, Manhattan

I had breakfast at the famous XO食坊 at Hester Street and Bowery Street. I tried the Indian milk tea again, but that guy gave me a hot one with ice added on it. <img width="15" border=”0″ src=”http://s.xanga.com/images/censored.gif&#8221; alt=”” /> The taste was so weird.

Then I took the Chinatown bus back to DC. This marks the end of my wonderful trip.