2014-12-17

【Aiden in English】

        The air was cold and crisp when I walked out of Wu Liang Ye Chinese Restaurant. The busy streets in the Midtown Manhattan seemed as crazy as ever. Mom and I, with full stomachs, got in with the current of the crowd. The next stop she had planned was the famous Rockefeller Center, which was just around the corner. It sounded great to me because my stomach was three times heavier than normal. As we turned at 5th Ave., the first thing I saw was a gigantic Christmas tree that coincidentally came from my home state of PA. This Norway spruce sparkled and twinkled in the sun light with shiny ornaments and 45,000 LED lights. It would probably become the tallest Christmas tree I had ever seen in my life and perched on the very top of the leafy decoration set a silver star that shined brighter than a light bulb. The second thing I noticed was a huge gilded gold Prometheus statue at the skating rink. He was in a kneeling position to bring fire to mankind. Only then did I see one of the most obvious things. Just in front of my face was the Channel Gardens with statues playing trumpets in the air to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

        Right across the street from the Rockefeller Center was St. Patrick Cathedral under renovation. Its facade looked great with a tall and pointy tower, but the inside I could tell that it was a long way from being finished. Polished stone columns supported a grand arch ceiling. Bright colorful glass pictures dotted the roof and in the center of the church sat a gleaming golden altar. Most of the parts were either wrapped in a fail or supported by steel scaffold, and the workers were still busy cleaning it. I really do hope it will get over soon, because I think this will look amazing once it's done.

        Every year around Christmas time, Saks 5^th Avenue, a top-notch department store, sets up a spectacular window show. Each window tells a different story and people line up in front of windows for enjoyment. By the looks of it, this year's theme would be fairy tales. There were scenes of Cinderella with a shoe, Sleeping Beauty with the poison apple, and many more. They all also had a short sentence or two in the center on the window to introduce the background. They told a piece of the story... just changing the beginning to “Once upon a Time in NYC”.... My personal favorite would probably be “Once upon a Time in NYC”. Sleeping Beauty was getting used to in the city that never sleeps. That was a really praise and got a tiny laugh out of me. I guess the New Yorkers certainly have humor.

        Macy's always puts up a window show every year too. Both stores are really kicking the bar high for each other. Macy's theme displayed a boy looking in a telescope at each planet. The Planets all had something Christmas on them. Venus appeared as bright as the sun, while Neptune sat quietly with a dark, dark blue. Mars was as red as ever, yet Mercury just couldn't get any hotter. Uranus was as cool as an ice cream, and Jupiter, a huge ball of fiery colors, loomed over all the other planets.

        NYC itself is a vacation hotspot for sights, sounds, and tastes. NYC is a unique, one-of-a kind-city that can't be disrespected.

【红霞译文】

        当我走出华馆五粮液酒家时，外面寒气袭人，只见曼哈顿中城依然人声鼎沸，我和妈妈酒足饭饱，巴不得走上街头投身到滚滚洪流中消肥减瘦。下一站妈妈带我去的地方是举世闻名的洛克菲勒中心，实际上五粮液酒家与洛克菲勒中心相距甚近，出门拐个弯没几步路远，听起来正合我意，更何况咱眼下肚子胀得要命，比从前差不多又肥出了三圈。我们转到第五大道，巨大无比的圣诞树抢先进入视线，说来真巧，今年这棵挪威云杉来自宾州老家，此时早已披上了节日盛装，四万五千只华灯齐放，无愧为我有生以来亲眼所见最高的圣诞树。树的顶端一颗光芒四射的银星分外夺目，让电灯泡黯然失色。洛克菲勒中心溜冰场内，大型镀金雕像普罗米修斯斜跪在地，将圣火带给人间。接下来再往前看，街心花园里有不少人物造型正手握小号仰天齐鸣，共同欢庆圣诞节与阳历新年的到来。

        洛克菲勒中心正对面为圣帕特里克大教堂，目前仍处于维修状态。其外观尖塔高耸、内部结构尚未重整完毕，新打磨出来的尖肋石柱支撑着庞大拱顶，花窗玻璃明亮通天, 教堂中央的祭坛金光闪闪，但绝大部分建筑不是被裹得严严实实，就是上了金属脚手架，工人们正紧张地进行清理工作。我期盼能早日修复原样，到时定会面目一新。

        每年圣诞节期间, 美国高档百货商场萨克斯第五大道设有令人交口称道的橱窗展览，而各个橱窗都向观众讲述不同的故事，人们可以排队依次走到窗前尽饱眼福。从外观布局上不难发现，今年的主题与童话传说相关，譬如：灰姑娘与一只鞋、睡美人与毒苹果等等。玻璃上标有一两句字幕，为大家提供背景知识。每个童话故事的开头全被改成“从前在纽约”。我个人比较喜欢这种形式，“睡美人”用来赞誉纽约这座不夜城，确实恰如其分，我觉得蛮有意思，纽约人挺有幽默感的。

        梅西百货商场也有类似的展览，两家各显神通，其水平越来越高。今年梅西借助一位男孩用望远镜观摩天体行星来揭示圣诞节无处不在。金星像太阳那么明亮，而海王星带有暗蓝色的深沉；火星一向红彤彤的，而水星总是热乎乎的；天王星像冰淇淋一样凉爽，而木星宛若火热的彩球映照其它所有行星。

        纽约本身堪称旅游胜地，无论从视觉、听觉还是味觉上都能满足各路群英。它独具特色，令人难以忘却。