My 180 Bites on Big Apple
Chapter 1
My Introduction to New York City
It’s the summer of 2014, everything is going as planned. I
have a great life is Malaysia, but there’s a feeling that a part of me is loss.
So, I’ve decided to leave my steady job of 10 years, in search of that one
piece of Hocrux that I’ve lost some where in the world.
I am a lucky SOB. I’ve been to every continent around the
world, except for North and South America. An old friend of mine, Bernard
called right before I was about to leave my job and not thinking about doing
anything… He said his apartment, that’s smacked right in the middle of
Manhattan have a space for rent. And I just said: “Yes! Why Not!” and just like
that the planning begun. And believe me, even I don’t believe how well it’s
been. I’ve bought the plane tickets, transfer the money to his account, and
packed my home for the past 10 years and send everything back to my home town
house in 2 weeks time. One thing I didn’t manage to do well is saying goodbye
to everyone. Though I did not feel it, but it seems like everyone around me
felt that I’ve left in a hurry. In one month, the decision is made and I’m gone
with the wind as they said.
I got air in my lungs and money in my pockets; I’m well
prepared for this great adventure of mine. Besides, my brother is 5000 miles
down south what could go wrong?! Haha!
And without a second glance backward, I jump on a train to
the airport, hop on a flight with my 2 GIGANTIC luggage and started my journey
from Asia to America. I’m a bred and born tough Asian, seen the worst and the
best of everything, I’m ready.
Oh! 24 hours is a long ass flight. Seriously, even with that
6 hours stop in Shanghai… which, mind me, the food is fantastic, but the flight
is too damn long.
Anyhow, 1 and a half day later, still the same day in New
York City as the day I fly away, I’ve reached JFK. The line at the custom is
short, and the officer didn’t even glance at me as he stamped the 6 months pass
onto my passport. As I look at it I thought, well, I guess my 3 months stint
just turn into half a year. Anyway, it’s a bit confusing finding the truck I’ve
pre-ordered online. The email says find the counter at the gate, but all I can
see is some travel agency. So I went outside and saw the trucks of the company
parked outside but no driver in it. So I drag my sorry ass and the 2 damn heavy
luggage back inside. Not happy that I still have to wait after such a long
flight. Anyway, finally the driver came and asked me to get a ticket with my
booking statement. And then I’m good to go, that’s not before he picked up
another 4 person at the other 5 gates, which is like totally confusing for me,
cause he drove me to every single terminal of JFK. My luck I guess, at least
now I know how many terminal that JFK have. I’m not angry; I’m far too excited
to be angry. I have expected the notorious traffic from JFK to the city, so no
biggie, just have some chat with the Spanish lady and the fashion writer
sitting in the same truck with me, and brush up on my half broken English with
them, who speak as half broken an English as I. 
I’d never thought I’d be in New York City during the summer.
Reason be that I come from the country on the Equator, you know, years of 365
days 24/7 of sunny hot weather is enough for me. I want something cold…. But to
my surprise this year New York don’t really have a really hot one.
So the truck slowly creeps through Jamaica Center and they
we reach the Unisphere of Flushing and over the Williamsburg, seriously I like
the steel structure… exactly like how I imagine I’d be going into Manhattan
like in the movies, and make a right to the neighborhood that’s gonna be my
home for the next 6 months.
As the truck pulls up at the apartment, Bernard is already
waiting outside, the security is tight here, and we need the key card to get
through the door, and there we go to the apartment and have everything settle.
It’s already deep into the twilight of the evening, and my friend actually had
a date with some friends. So I wandered around the area, walk down the East
River promenade, with some jazz band playing at the back, enjoying the sun
setting on to the Pepsi-Cola sign, watching the sail boats and water way plane
docking at the pier. And before I knew it my friend called to bring me to the
diner for dinner and before we can say where, my phone died on me, ain’t that a
typical 1st world problem. Right when you need it, it stopped
working. Fortunately, Bernard, blessed his soul, figured out where I’m at and
found me. The thing is at this point, I don’t have a key to the apartment nor
do I know the area or anyone else in New York City, quite an adventure for the
first few hours.
When we got to the Cooper Town Diner, a pretty typical
American diner, nothing fancy, well… fancy enough for me. Everything is new to me,
and I’m actually in an All-American Diner… till the owner come over and ask for
my order, clearly Mexican, and there I have it, the first whiff of that
multi-cultural scent of the Big Apple, but I couldn’t order on the spot,
there’s too many choices and I’m too damn tired to read through it all! Haha!
So I order the first thing that I saw I’d like. Some Specialty… with a large
plate of potato fritters. To tell the truth the portion and the price for that meal
surprised me; they are unreal to me. I’m still haven’t adjusted from my 3
dollars a meal day back in Asia. And to have a pound of meat with 2 breads and
eggs and sausage, not to mention Again, the big flat fritters that almost cover
the whole plate, I’m full even before I’m half way through. But, I was ecstatic
at this moment. Nothing could go wrong really.
The sun is down and I’m tired so we call it a day and I
crash on to my bed.
The next day, the sun is bright, the air is fresh, even the
squirrel looks interesting to me. Bernard got me the key card and the door key,
and he’s off to work. And my real wandering begins. I have a plan. Not a very
sound plan but a plan still. I’ve decided not to get a metro card, Manhattan is
a Grid city so I’ve decided to just walk around town, get the feel of it. I have
no idea what First Avenue means nor do what streets I’m at. So, I’m free to
roam, wherever I want. I know I need to get a line for my phone. Global roaming
is too expensive to use on the other side of the earth. So of all places I
wandered to Union Square, not a very huge place, the farmers market is on that
day, but I was determined to get my line, so I got into a AT&T store and
got that done in half an hour. No fuss. Walk around a bit, have my first
everything-in-it Chipotle. And left turn
to the South, started walking and walking…
It is a strange thing, I thought that New York City is a
Grid city, no map should be needed, but then I find myself getting lost. Why,
cause this knucklehead didn’t know that after the number, most of the south
side is crisscross streets after streets, the overlapping of Chinatown and the
financial district. But I sort of still know where I’m at, cause I can see the
New Tower one in the far distance and that’s where I’m heading. That is the
first thing that I need to do when I got to New York City. A few years back, I
got PTSD from just seeing the event on the news. When I got well, I met a guy
from New York City. He was in my country for a few years. And he died of cancer
when he was there. I’ve promised if I ever going to go to New York, I’m gonna
pay his uncle, A Fire Fighter who like many fireman have past away on that
fateful day on that spot, a visit like he did every year before that. So, that
was the mission that day, to bring one flower and put on the plate, with his uncle’s
name on it, which in a way he is making me commemorate my ending of my PTSD.
The funny thing is it is World Cup season and I thought American are not really
into football (soccer as they call it). But today, America in up, and everyone
is cheering the team against Belgium. 
Of course Belgium won, and before I reach the financial
district, I’ve walked about 6 hours, pop in and out of bars with all their TV
Screen all on the match. I walk a few blocks, I would here some one shout is
dismay, and scream Goal!!!! I’m never a real fan of football really, but today
I felt I’m part of the city, cheering on, with the American, and the Belgian
next door, people were off work now, everyone is either out the front of the
bar or inside one to watch the game. No one is walking home. And I continue
towards the south end of Manhattan right through the middle of the island on 3rd
and 4th Avenue. Well, the match ended with Belgium winning 2-1.
Everyone sighed, except from the few pubs open for the Belgian, they started
singing and cheering and dancing. It is like I’m at the Games, felt a lot like
the time when I’m in Athens for the 2004 Olympics. Even Restaurant, every bars
is switch to the games, and supporters all sits outside screaming in support,
only this one is wilder, and more hysterical, cause it’s football, football
fans are the worst and the best. Anyway, in the end, I did make it just in time
before the park is closed. I lay my flower, remembering the time when I first
saw the news, and the weeks after, and looking around, after more than 12
years, from all the cheers I’ve heard and what I’ve seen where I walk… It has
finally arrived, the day to let go and embrace the future. And Tower One will
open its door in November this year. 
I am glad and relieved. And now… the walk back to my place…
Nope, not gonna do that. So I went underground bought my
first metro card and ride the train like everyone else. It’s pretty empty even
with the off-working peak hour. And seeing all these people in their hundred
dollars suit in the train is a familiar yet strange feeling for me.
I guess this is it. My official ceremony to become a real
New Yorker, I got off the train at Union Square, with the sun setting at 8:30
in the evening behind me, and walk for the first time the path of the hundreds
time to come for the next few months that I’m gonna walk. And this moment I
feel that I got it, the Big Apple, well, at least the South Side of it. As the
saying says: “New York is like the Hobbit, You can summarize him in one
sentence but everyday He will surprise you with something new!”
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