I’ve never brought my laptop with me during a trip, so I hardly ever update my blog. But now that I’ve got a week off, I’m using the time to catch up on reading, stay up late browsing the web, and discover interesting stuff online. Anyway, I’ve just come back from New York and Seattle last April, and there’s a lot I want to share. But first, I have so much to tell you about New York because I absolutely love that place, so I’ll save the Seattle stories for the next post.
When I landed at JFK, it was around midnight. The wind was gentle, and the weather was about 9°C, not too cold compared to the winter a month ago when New York was blanketed in snow (unfortunately, I didn’t have a flight to NYC at that time). It took about 25 minutes to get to the hotel in Flushing. The room was amazing, I guess it was an apartment because it was huge with two bedrooms, a big bathroom, and a fully equipped kitchen. The hotel gave me such a great first impression, so I was ready to enjoy the trip. I had a 2-day layover here, which is a pretty long layover for us crew members.
I should mention that I didn’t take any public transportation to downtown or Times Square (though the subway is really close to the hotel and takes you straight to downtown). I just didn’t feel like it. I preferred to walk around the local area, grab some food, take a few photos, and rest after the long flight. Flushing was enough for me to explore on my first visit, and I think I must be an old soul who prefers not to go too far when I travel alone. But of course, I’ll go downtown next time I fly to New York. After all, it’s essential to see and take photos at some of those iconic spots.
So, I woke up on Sunday morning after a long flight from Taipei to New York. We’d ordered breakfast from a local food store the night before, so I had a quick bite and headed out. Flushing surprised me because nearly everyone I saw on the street was Chinese, pretty much all the stores and people. I thought to myself, "Is this really America?" But it’s fine, I’m used it. Based on Google Maps, I found a Vietnamese restaurant nearby, and I was hoping I’d meet some fellow Vietnamese and maybe have a chat. But once again, I was surprised—everyone there was Chinese, speaking Mandarin and Cantonese. I secretly thought, "Oops, not Chinese here." But since I’d learned Mandarin before, I ended up speaking Chinese with them and it was actually pretty fun to connect with people from different parts of the world. So for two days, I was a Chinese girl in New York.
I also stumbled upon Coco, a famous bubble tea brand from Taiwan, in Flushing. There were two locations: one on Main Street and one in the shopping mall. It was such a treat to get my favorite bubble tea in America! It reminded me of the time in San Francisco when the food place our crew ordered from was a Vietnamese restaurant, but they served Thai milk tea. Guys, bubble tea is one of my absolute favorite drinks, and I always make sure to grab some wherever I go. I even pack milk tea bags when I travel just in case there’s no good bubble tea around.
Another thing I noticed in New York is how much people love walking around. Compared to other US cities where most people drive, I was amazed at how many people were just out walking in the streets. As an introvert, I’m usually not a fan of crowds, but somehow in New York, I didn’t mind walking among all the people. The 8°C weather was perfect for it too.
After lunch, I spent some time at a shopping mall, doing what any other girl would do when she’s in a mall. And for the rest of my time there, I mostly stayed in the hotel—reading and browsing the internet. It’s totally fine for an introvert to enjoy staying in and recharging. But next time, I definitely plan to explore downtown New York and take some unforgettable pictures.
