(Original--without ChatGPT's edit:-)
J becomes a New Yorker since her move in March, a city that draws young people. As expected, the apartment she moved in is small, old and expensive. The creaky wood floor even slanted a bit that table legs on one side needs a cushion to stay balanced. The building was said to be built in 1900s, with no elevator but a narrow corridor with stairs. A metal emergency stairs zigzag outside.
When J arrived on the first day of March, it was still freezingly cold winter. But the room temperature inside the building however was set around 76F, centrally controlled by the building, in compliance with the city's regulations. J had to leave the window open, even at night, to moderate the heat.
Then she caught a cold and was sick for weeks.
On Aril 17, during a phone conversation with J, she told us that the temperature in the last few days shot up to 80s, reminding her of Shanghai's sultry summer. It lasted for three days before a thunderous rain cooled the area down.
J was leaning on her bed, her eyes glistening, her face glowing under the light, and her mouth flowing out her recent explorations of the city. She said she just got off from the art classes (she took two nightly art classes per week and planned to reduce to one when summer comes.), passing by streets that were still thronged with people at 10 pm. She seemed to be in good mood, and that sentiment quickly spread over to me at the other end of the phone.
she babbles on with more of her discoveries while we were having late dinner in the west coast.
-- In her rich neighborhood area, she saw African nannies frequent around with white babies in the baby strollers.
-- Flushing is almost on the edge of NY, and there are lots of Chinese there.
-- Chinatown is just another dirty place, as dirty as New York, if not dirtier.
-- The line queued up for food distribution is long and slow. Among them, some Asian elders were patiently waiting in the cold. Why their offspring, who must have thrived, do not support them? Some Cantonese cannot speak English, like what she met in Hongkong last November. How could they survive without speaking the language?
-- Her prior co-worker purchased a high-end fake Chanel bag from a vendor on Canal Street. She waited for more than six months before it reached her after going through various venues to avoid the customs.
-- MoMA gives out the first year admission free with a value of $110. Afterwards, you get 50% discount for annual admission.
-- Met is free to all New Yorkers.
-- The weather there is similar to Beijing, but citywise, it is more like Shanghai and Guangzhou, modern and vibrant.
-- New Yorkers don't actually welcome movers from other states. "It's already very crowded here, and more immigrants will only push the rent higher."
-- New Yorkers in particular don't like mid-westerners. But CA people are on a better receiving end.
Hearing this, I quipped. "Is it because CA has more 'new' money? I then went on with a brief story of how people in Shanghai, after the skyrocketing development in the South in 1980s-90s, were challenged and how their egos were eclipsed by richer Cantonese, as well as people in Shenzhen, China's silicon valley, which leapfrogged to the front." She nodded. Our last November's visits of the three cities are still fresh, and the bustling streets in Guangzhou impressed her the most.
"Mom, do you know the expression of 'bridge and tunnel'?" When my response was negative, she asked me to find out online.
"You should write them down in journals, and one day you may write a book about New York." said I.
"I should." She winks at the idea. "You can write them down in your blog, Mom."
