2019 New York and Boston Trip
The summer 2019 New York and Boston trip was my last overseas trip before the pandemic. After that, I didn't travel abroad again until long after the lockdown was lifted, and I was too lazy to write a travelogue. My wife said I should write it down so we can reminisce later.
Visa: 10-year visa. Flights: China Eastern direct from Shanghai to New York. Google Maps, mobile WiFi (or a US SIM card), multi-currency credit card, driver's license and International Driving Permit — with these you can travel freely in the US.
The trip covered over 13,000 kilometers, with a 14-hour flight, exhausting. The return flight was 15 hours, really tough.
Even on a trip, homework can't be left behind.
My wife and son went to business class; I sat in economy.
Mid-flight, I swapped with my wife; she went to economy while my son slept soundly.
Arrived at John F. Kennedy International Airport in the evening. After customs, we took a taxi to the BEST WESTERN hotel in Flushing. The first night in the US is never good; I couldn't sleep after four hours. I started the first day in a daze.
Breakfast at US chain budget hotels is just bread, milk, cookies, and fruit — enough to fill you up.
Bought water at a supermarket near the hotel.
New York's subway is old and the platforms have no air conditioning, feeling like a steam oven, but it's efficient and fast.
New York's bus and subway system is very developed. We stayed in Flushing, Queens, a Chinese enclave, and took the 7 train to Manhattan. We bought a 7-day unlimited pass for subway and bus.
My son was still jet-lagged and fell asleep on the subway.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the world's top four museums. It used to be pay-what-you-wish, but since 2018 it's been fixed admission. We bought tickets on Ctrip, cheaper than the official site.
A sea of people.
Ancient Egyptian temples and mummies have been moved here.
A fence that was once part of a church.
The collection includes extremely rich medieval armor.
African art exhibition area.
For a quick tour, prepare a full day; with an audio guide, prepare three days; to carefully view every exhibit, prepare a lifetime. When visiting, carry your backpack in front to avoid damaging exhibits.
Indian art exhibition area — indescribable.
"The Medicine Buddha Assembly," from the Lower Guangsheng Temple in Hongdong County, Shanxi Province. It's a masterpiece of Yuan Dynasty mural, over 700 years old, of great historical value. It was sold by temple monks for 1600 silver dollars, cut apart, and shipped to the US.
My son was still jet-lagged.
After a morning of browsing, it was noon, so we had lunch at the museum restaurant.
Continued exploring; they even brought a Chinese garden here.
The Met has a rich collection of Chinese porcelain and bronzes, but due to time, we only had a quick look.
In the painting galleries, we headed straight for Monet and Van Gogh. My son has been learning to paint since he was little and is a huge Van Gogh fan.
First day, still jet-lagged, the huge museum was tiring, so we went back early to rest.
There was a small church right next to our hotel.
Near Rockefeller Center, there were several tall churches. We went in and sat for a while, listened to a sermon, but when they started handing out pamphlets, we escaped.
Someone asked whether to go to the Empire State Building or Rockefeller Center for the view. Answer: Rockefeller Center, because from there you can see the Empire State Building.
When buying tickets, the attendant kindly said the weather wasn't great and visibility was limited. Did we still want to go up? Of course!
The building under construction looked like luxury apartments — now surely occupied, setting a record for unit price.
Visibility was actually good; we could see the World Trade Center in the distance.
After coming down, we bought some fried rice from a street stall and ate on a flower bed.
The World Trade Center subway station looked like a giant bird with spread wings.
The memorial museum was underground, with very cold air conditioning.
The building's steel structure was twisted and deformed.
The antenna that once stood on the roof.
After the attack, there were fears that the protective dam near the river might collapse, but it held up.
The fire truck that participated in the rescue.
My son and I share the same name.
Both my son and I are fans of aircraft carriers and battleships; we visit any ship we can find. Naturally, we couldn't miss the USS Intrepid in New York.
Diagonal to the Intrepid is the Chinese Consulate General in New York.
A cruise ship was docked at the nearby pier, disembarking passengers.
Next to the Intrepid is the USS Growler, a diesel-powered cruise missile submarine. It is the only American diesel submarine open to the public and the first of the Grayback class.
Even the captain's quarters were nothing special.
Boarded the Intrepid to start the tour.
The British-invented landing mirror.
The flight deck also has various aircraft.
The classic A-12 (predecessor of the SR-71 Blackbird; see my Seattle travelogue).
At the rear of the deck, there's a separate exhibit hall housing a space shuttle — Enterprise. In February 2019, I visited the Endeavour shuttle in Los Angeles (see my LA travelogue).
After visiting that hangar, I returned to where my wife was resting. She said the elevator had demonstrated a lift while we were away, and many tourists experienced it. What a pity!
After the tour, we found a Sichuan restaurant on the street. The food was very authentic, and they even offered half portions. Excellent!
Grand Central Terminal, surely seen in many movies and TV shows.
The ceiling features the zodiac constellations.
Saw a couple taking wedding photos with poop in the background — an eye-opener.
New York Public Library.
We bought two ice creams outside.
Continued to Times Square. The M&M's store was fun.
Couldn't wait for the lights to come on; we went back, too tired to walk anymore.
Booked a tour of the United Nations Headquarters through the official website, reserved a Chinese language guide time slot, and followed a guide through the main venues.
Checked in and picked up tickets across the street.
Saw a Nobel Prize medal for the first time.
The large assembly hall often seen in the news.
Bought many stamps at the UN post office and wrote postcards to teachers. Had lunch at the UN cafeteria; brought the yogurt container home to store pickled vegetables.
Next stop: Statue of Liberty, booked via the official website, visiting at the designated time.
After landing on the island, first visited the museum, which explains how the statue was built.
To climb the torch, you need to book far in advance; I'm not sure if it's still open.
The view from up high was fantastic!
Back in Manhattan, we had to see the Charging Bull. Not long after returning, news said a madman had damaged the bull.
It was an extremely tiring day. We bought a large authentic Italian pizza near the hotel, overestimating ourselves; we couldn't finish even though we were stuffed.
Packed up, checked out, and went to the car rental to pick up a Grand Caravan and head to Boston.
On the way to Boston, we visited the world's first nuclear submarine — USS Nautilus. The Nautilus was named after the submarine in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea." It was laid down on June 14, 1952, at General Dynamics Electric Boat, launched on January 21, 1954, commissioned on September 30, 1954, and decommissioned on March 3, 1980. After modifications, it became a museum ship at the Submarine Force Museum in Groton.
A size comparison between early US submarines and the Ohio-class nuclear submarine.
After the visit, we continued northeast. Near Boston, we visited the battleship USS Massachusetts. It was already after 2 PM; the staff said we only had about two hours, suggesting we come back the next day. Two hours was enough. We also visited a nearby destroyer and submarine.
I had previously visited the USS Iowa and USS Missouri, but only the USS Massachusetts has the main turret and magazine open to the public — extremely impressive.
Crawled through a small door at the back of the main turret.
Massive 16-inch shells were launched using six such powder bags.
Inside the ship's magazine; the warheads were transported to the turret via a conveyor.
The unbelievable 16-inch command tower armor.
Didn't expect such a simple toilet on deck — a photo op.
Also visited the destroyer and submarine.
A high school classmate was on a company assignment near Boston, so he treated us to Boston lobster for dinner. We hadn't seen each other for 23 years, and we met in a foreign country.
In Boston, we also stayed at BEST WESTERN. This hotel was the best of the trip: modern facilities, spacious rooms, good breakfast, and reasonable price.
First stop: USS Constitution.
USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides, is a three-masted wooden-hulled heavy frigate of the United States Navy. She was launched on October 21, 1797. Her displacement is 1,576 tons. Named by President George Washington after the United States Constitution.
Second stop: Bunker Hill Monument, built to commemorate the famous Battle of Bunker Hill. It is an obelisk 67 meters tall, made of granite.
The airless tower made climbing feel mechanical; luckily we had a handheld fan, or we'd have gotten heatstroke.
Finally reached the top — the view was nice.
After descending, we drove toward downtown, intending to park and walk. But parking was expensive: $9 for 20 minutes. We saw the price and backed out, so we just drove around the city. Many old buildings, like Quincy Market and the Old State House, remained unvisited. For a walking tour, follow the Freedom Trail.
Finally found a metered parking spot. Parked and went to visit Harvard.
Had to touch John Harvard's foot.
Stone tablets donated by Harvard alumni.
Bought a book from the Harvard Bookstore as a souvenir.
Moved on to MIT.
Open campus; many classrooms were open for anyone to enter.
Packed up, checked out, and returned to New York. First stop: John F. Kennedy Library.
In 1964, to commemorate the late President John F. Kennedy, a permanent building — the John F. Kennedy Library — was planned for Boston Harbor. Designed by architect I.M. Pei, it took 15 years to build and was completed in 1979. Due to its innovative design, bold shape, and superb technique, it caused a sensation in the American architectural community and is recognized as one of the best architectural works in US history. 1979 was declared "the Year of I.M. Pei" by the American architectural community, and he was awarded the AIA Gold Medal.
The library focuses on Kennedy's upbringing, his campaign, and events during his presidency. Events that later shocked the world were not mentioned.
Springfield Armory, established in 1794 and closed in 1964, was once the US government's main state-owned light weapon production and research center. The former factory is now a museum and part of a university campus.
Here I finally understood the firing mechanisms of matchlock and flintlock guns.
A gun struck by lightning.
Various production equipment.
Ordered a small burger at a Subway but still got stuffed.
While planning, I discovered that the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is near Springfield. I had thought the Hall of Fame was just a symbolic honor, not a physical place.
Found Yao Ming among the circle of famous photos.
Took a photo with my idol Jordan.
Checked the prices of basketballs and jerseys.
Drove west and stayed at a hotel near Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, the largest outlet north of New York.
Before entering the campus, we waited in a hall with a school introduction.
The West Point summer camps in China are all fake. To visit the real West Point, you need to book in advance, go through two security checks, and follow a guide who explains the school's history, building stories, and anecdotes of famous figures.
Famous alumni have nameplates in the first row of the church, including five-star general Douglas MacArthur.
West Point sits along the Hudson River. To defend against the British, they used huge iron chains to block the river.
The flagpole above was brought back from the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor.
Saw a couple taking wedding photos.
The army and navy are rivals on the field; everywhere you see the slogan: "Beat Navy!"
Besides the campus, there is also a museum.
Outlet shopping — heavy traffic on the way to the outlets.
On the last day, after checking out, we went to Ferncliff. Ferncliff is in northwest New York, resting place of many well-known figures. Those interested can visit.
Holiday over, back to work.
Travelogue Index:
Day 1: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Day 2: Rockefeller Center, 9/11 Memorial
Day 3: USS Intrepid, Grand Central Terminal, New York Public Library, Times Square
Day 4: Central Park, United Nations Headquarters, Statue of Liberty
Day 5: USS Nautilus, USS Massachusetts
Day 6: Bunker Hill Monument, Boston city, Harvard University, MIT
Day 7: John F. Kennedy Library, Springfield Armory, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Day 8: West Point, Outlet shopping
Day 9: Ferncliff, Return to China
