2014-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        Life in a city is so different from the one in the countryside. The city bustles with people, cars, shops, and vendors. Even the lively atmosphere flourishes so distinct from my peaceful neighborhood. And the best of all, it's always this way day and night, especially in a metropolitan city like New York City (NYC) that never sleeps.

        NYC seemed absolutely chaos. I stepped out of Penn Station and into another universe in Manhattan. A universe of tides of crowds, neon lights, and flashing TV screens. It was a universe without rest. Waves of waves of people clashed again and again like a war, making it tough to walk in a straight line.

        Our journey to Penn Station in NYC took almost three hours directly from my home in the Greater Philadelphia Area. During this precious time, Mom and I drove to Metro Park in Edison, NJ and transferred the next transit train to NYC. It was a tiring trip even though I did nothing but tapped on my iPad. But now, the easy part was over. We had to navigate from 32nd Street to 48th Street and then strode from 7th Ave. to 5th Ave. It became way, way difficult than what it sounded like. There the people in business suits and party dresses walked like machines, fast and unstoppable. I was tossed around in the huge crowds like a toy in a child's hands. Fortunately, I held on to Mom's hand with a grip that could probably bend titanium. As much as walking safely through NYC was a priority, sightseeing was another. Bulletin boards advertised a variety of products and new technologies, while TV screens showed even much fancier ads especially in Times Square. It was full of skyscrapers, tower monitors, and splendid glamour. I just couldn't imagine what the night would look like. One I saw kept coming up and that was about the new Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies which came out this very day. Too bad, Mom and I didn't have put the movie theater on our things to do list. Finally, our destination came into view. The Chinese authentic Szechuan restaurant Wu Liang Ye was just a block away. My spirit was re-ignited as we picked up the pace.

        Inside the restaurant, the smell was so attempted that I could almost taste it in the air. Mom and I sat down and pulled out menus. After taking a quick scan, however, I let Mom to choose on her own. Fifteen minutes later, 5 dishes appeared on our table. Instantly, I knew I had made a serious mistake. Mom selected so many appetizers that main courses weren't even necessary. There were Sliced Beef Tendon w/ Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, Ox Tongue and Tripe w/ Roasted Chili Peanut Vinaigrette, Sichuan Pork Dumplings w/ Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, Dan Dan Noodles w/ Minced Pork in Roasted Chili Vinaigrette, and Garlic Spinach. I gorged myself so full that my mouth was set on fire and stomach got hurt. But the spicy food made me feel delicious.

        To me, NYC is one heck of a place. It's hard to even think about living here after experiencing the countryside. Nevertheless, New York is New York.

【紅霞譯文】

        城裡生活與鄉下生活截然不同，不僅人口密集汽車喧囂，而且商店林立小攤成堆，都市氣氛總是熱鬧火爆，絲毫沒有荒郊野外那般靜謐安寧。顯然，像紐約市這樣的大都會無論白天黑夜始終生機勃發，堪稱名符其實的不夜城。

        紐約市看上去熙熙攘攘，我剛從賓夕法尼亞車站邁出，便立刻陷入另外一個世界，仿佛劉姥姥進大觀園，滿處新鮮玩藝，叫人看得眼花繚亂。曼哈頓車水馬龍，霓虹燈流光溢彩，廣告屏發布最新快報，全城上下根本沒有片刻消停。街頭巷尾更是人潮洶湧，不時地交互碰撞在一起，穿梭於繁華地段宛若奔赴戰場衝鋒陷陣，人們根本無法保持直線行進。

        從位於大費城地區的敝家門口出發直奔紐約市賓夕法尼亞車站單程需要耗掉大約三個鐘頭，在這段寶貴的時間裡，我和媽媽先得驅車開往新澤西州愛迪生市大都會公園火車站，然後繼續轉乘州際通勤火車，雖說除了狂玩蘋果平板電腦別無它事可做，一路下來還是非常辛苦。但這不過僅僅是個開頭，後面很快就失去這番輕鬆的感覺。接下來，我們必須從32街到48街縱行跋涉12條街，再由第七大道徒步橫穿至第五大道，說來容易做來難。瞧大街上，西裝筆挺皮鞋�ち恋哪惺考踩袅餍牵�身着禮服腳踩高跟鞋的女士箭步如飛，個個像台跑動器快速地朝前趕路，人人身體力行勢不可擋。我被擠在中間隨波逐流，猶如捏在小孩子手中的玩具被任其擺布，幸好我緊緊拽住媽媽那隻堅如磐石的手臂，才不至於流離轉徙迷失於茫茫人海之中。交通安全固然隱患重重，但城市風光確實無以倫比，街道兩旁電子布告既有介紹各種產品的，又有宣傳新型科學技術的，更有隨時提供最新報道的。時代廣場獨領風騷，摩天大樓、電視屏幕塔、奇光異色，我簡直無法想像夜景該是何等奇觀。走着走着，今天剛好上映的好萊塢新片《哈比人：五軍之戰》巨幅廣告逐漸映入眼帘，遺憾的是我們並無閒暇將它納入當日行程計劃。終於，目的地與我們遙遙相望，口碑叫絕的中國四川美食酒家——“五梁液”近在咫尺。我頓時情緒振奮，重新邁出矯健的步伐。

        “五梁液”餐廳內部味道格外誘人，空氣中香氣四溢，我和媽媽拾位而坐，拿起堂吃食譜研讀起來。略微掃視了一番，我決定放手讓媽媽全權點餐。十五分鐘過後，五大碟瓷盤呈現桌前，我立刻意識到自己犯下嚴重錯誤，想不到媽媽一口氣竟然要來這麼多開胃頭台﹕麻辣牛筋、夫妻肺片、龍抄手、擔擔麵，結果主餐蒜蓉菠菜成了多餘。我不管三七二十一大塊朵頤，嗓子辣得冒火，肚子撐得難受，但嘴巴麻得過癮。

        對我來說，紐約市好壞兼容，習慣了鄉下自然節律，很難把自己的天地鎖定在靡麗的樊籠里。但不管怎樣，紐約就是與眾不同。