Updated on 十二月 14, 2016
2016美国之行 纽约市第一天
和我们预想的一样,康奈尔大学的计算机系并没有在这个夏季项目的周末安排任何活动(除了第一个周末去尼亚加拉瀑布的郊游之外,话说尼亚加拉瀑布之行还真的不错,因为伊萨卡和尼亚加拉瀑布之家好像没有什么公共交通)。因为伊萨卡地理位置如此偏僻,唯一对我们有吸引力的城市也就是纽约了。
本文图片储存在Imgur上,若有任何显示问题请邮件联系。
关于伊萨卡(Ithaca)和纽约(以及通过纽约去达的美国其他的地方)之间的交通,有几点要说的。要是不差钱的话美国联合航空有伊萨卡机场往返于纽瓦克(Newark)自由机场的航班。但是考虑到当时伊萨卡机场在进行跑道维护以及我们并不是土豪,我们基本上只能使用地面交通。
在伊萨卡汽车站我看到了灰狗(Greyhound)的标识,但是我不清楚Greyhound是否真的有从伊萨卡出发的班次(还是只是代码共享),至少他们网站上的价格看上去不便宜。如果我没记错的话,康奈尔大学应该也有往返哥伦比亚大学校园的巴士,但那巴士不是每天都有(何况我们在假期)。所以我们只剩下CoashUSA的全资子公司Shortline了。
Shortline的详细信息可以在它们的网站上查到。总结一下,它们提供伊萨卡直达纽约的”高级”服务,和使用自身(基于I86公路的)网络的”标准”服务。
让我觉得有意思的是,我最喜欢的从伊萨卡前往纽约的红眼巴士属于他们的”标准”服务。虽然这个红眼巴士只有6个小时,中间还包括在宾汉姆顿(Binghamton)汽车站的短暂停留,所以这期间极有可能睡不好。但是考虑到我们只出去玩一个周末,我们认为没有事情会出问题,虽然最后的事实并不是这样。
关于前往纽约的Shortline巴士,还有一点要说的是它由两部分组成:伊萨卡到宾汉姆顿(Binghamton)和宾汉姆顿到纽约。是的,如果你买的不是他们的”高级”直达车的话,同一段行程售票员会给你两张票。 CoashUSA的另一个子公司,MegaBus会在它的网上卖宾汉姆顿(Binghamton)到纽约的打折票,而伊萨卡到宾汉姆顿之间的车票价格是固定的12.5USD。按照我的经验,宾汉姆顿到纽约这一段巴士基本上是满的,而到伊萨卡这一段巴士非常空。
说到红眼巴士,有一个坏处是我需要提前赶到伊萨卡市中心的汽车站购买车票,因为当时康奈尔大学的学生服务中心假期关门了,而我们的巴士会在半夜到伊萨卡汽车站(否则的话是可以先上车,车开到汽车站之后再买票的)。所以这是一路的上下坡和抓口袋妖怪。
实话实说这一段路我并没有好好休息。在天亮之后我基本上都是醒着的,看着纽约市郊在窗外飞驰以打发时间。
也正因此,在最后一段I95高速上我能欣赏纽约市的高楼大厦在河对岸沐浴着朝阳的壮丽景象。
我们当天的计划是一早游览自由女神像。但是考虑到我们下巴士的时间比自由女神像开门时间还要早一个多小时,我们就先去了时代广场(Times Square)。
看起来早上7点对于大多数来纽约的游客来说实属过早,以至于我们到时代广场(Times Square)的时候整个广场都是空荡荡的。空中的彩色大屏和地上的各色垃圾都比广场里的人多。可能这是因为早班的清洁工还没有上班,也可能是因为这是所有东西都被包容的纽约。
简单地(在错误的时间)逛完了时代广场之后,我们前往地铁站准备参观自由女神像。
十分不幸的是,在进地铁站的时候我走错了站台。在50 Street Station这种小站我没法直接走到对面方向的站台,所以我机智地决定坐一站地铁到更大的Columbus Circle Station再坐回来,而不是花2美元出一次站。
所以这就是纽约地铁系统给我的第一印象。一方面,我在赞叹这个有一个多世纪历史的伟大工程;在另一方面,它的站台脏乱破旧而闷热。 我可以很轻松地说我更喜欢伦敦同样历史悠久但是更加现代化的地铁系统,但是轻松之余要在美国的文化背景下找到一个能够打扫并升级纽约地铁系统的方案并不容易。
同行的朋友一直在抱怨纽约地铁的这种设计,在他眼里看来穿梭于两侧的站台应该是天经地义的。我只能劝他说这种设计挖地铁的时候只需要挖一层,而不是大多数现代地铁的两层。
我们在雷科特街(Rector Street)地铁站下了地铁。因为我们在0830第一班自由岛游轮出发之前还有充足的时间,我们就逛了一下附近的华尔街。
在这时候我们继续毫无违和感的继续往前走,直到我们被叫住说前方是电影外景拍摄。我们非常惊奇的表示他们是怎么把我们和其他的一堆和我们长得差不多的群众演员区分开的。
不幸的是,在我们到的时候联邦国家纪念堂并不开放(对我们来说不算惊奇),我们接下来在纽约的时间我们也没有回来参观它。
然后我们找到了圣三一教堂,它好像欢迎所有人入内参观。我跟同行的朋友开玩笑说可能华尔街的大佬们需要一个洗清罪恶感的场所。
在外面华尔街喧闹之中能有像教堂这样安静的地方非常难能可贵。
一开始我们计划的是坐当天的第一班渡轮前往自由岛。但是我们在华尔街附近待的时间比预计的稍长了一点,所以我们最后坐了第二班离开炮台公园的船。
总觉得雕像游轮作为Statue Cruises的翻译感觉怪怪的。
自由岛的门票包含着免费的语音导游器,里面有各种移民后代讲述着关于他们父母先辈如何追求自由民主的爱国故事。同行的小伙伴好像对此并不热心。
所以我们在逛自由岛的过程中那语音导游器基本上就被撩在一边。同行的小伙伴觉得里面的内容太冗长了,而那里面的内容我基本上都已经知道了。
不幸的是,当我们归还语音解说器来到码头的时候,上一班游轮正好走了。于是我们在岛上就又抓了20分钟的口袋妖怪。

自由岛码头上扔的零钱我希望这并不仅仅是热爱扔钱的中国游客的的杰作。如果这样的话,不久后I hope this is not the sole work of coin-tossing-frenzy Chinese visitors, if so, it won’t take long before this becomes a underwater archaeology site.
现场的讲解员中有一些是清单上高亮的人的后裔。感觉这样的安排非常有震撼力。
这个时候埃利斯岛(Ellis Island)上游客已经不少了,于是我们非常不幸的发现我们需要在队伍里等两班船才能回纽约。
看起来自由岛游轮20分钟的间隔(如果我没记错吧)的瓶颈原来在上下客速度上。
然后我们打算坐地铁绿线前往大都会艺术博物馆。但是布林格陵(Bowling Green)地铁站当时在关闭维修,所以我们只能走回雷科特街(Rector Street)站去坐车。。
这个系统里唯一防止雨水或是垃圾掉进地铁站(或是乘客的头上)的仅仅是一个错位的通风井。看到纽约地铁系统使用着这么传统的通风系统的时候我还是有点惊讶的。仔细想了一下纽约地铁建了100多年了,我也就不那么惊讶了。
在去大都会艺术博物馆之前我们在附近的Shake Shack餐厅解决了中饭。Shake Shack的汉堡非常好吃,唯一的问题是,因为那店内部的座位实际上非常少,所以我们必须在旁边的露天公园里解决我们的中餐。(我必须要说这不是非常得体地使用公共空间的方式,因为那公园里基本上只有Shake Shack的顾客,但是有点讽刺的是旁边的标识说”就座不需要消费”。)同时木制的椅子在阳光的照射下可不是一般的热。
然后是大都会艺术博物馆。有一点我不太喜欢的是,尽管大都会艺术博物馆本质上是一个基于自由捐助的机构(和伦敦大英博物馆一样)。但好像在纽约市场之风的影响下,大都会博艺术博物馆在入口设立了各种门票站。所以参观者要么付25美元的全票,要么像其他所有人一样在长得无可救药的队伍里慢慢等着。相比较之下,大英博物馆就邀请所有人先入内参观,并在显著的地方设立捐助箱。虽然让所有人都排队直觉上可以吸收到更多的捐助,但是我总是不觉得排队和博物馆使命相称。
不过除了队伍之外,大都会艺术博物馆的展品还是非常不错的。

埃及古雕像的头It feels ironic that, to me, this is a display of both America’s determination for history preservation and its brutality at artifact despoiling.
对于大都会艺术博物馆,我知道它里面的展品是如此之多以至于给我一整天我也逛不完。所以,我选择仔细欣赏一些我觉得更感兴趣的展品,而不是把所有展品都粗粗扫完。我们在大都会艺术博物馆待了大概三个小时,直到同行的小伙伴无法容忍”现代”艺术的缺乏。
接下来的照片描述很多来自于大都会艺术博物馆的官方网站。我不打算翻译这些介绍。

The Falling GladiatorThe tension between the raised arm and the dramatic, collapsing posture enhances the work’s emotional intensity and reflects Rimmer’s fascination with figures that rise and fall simultaneously.

DianaSaint-Gaudens eschewed the traditional full-bodied interpretation of Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon and the hunt, focusing instead on simple, elegant lines and a strong silhouette.

Bohemian Bear TamerThe bears are not aware of their potential brute power; thus, the underlying theme is man’s superiority as the thinking species.

The Angel of Death and the Sculptor from the Milmore MemorialThe memorial represents the moment when the Angel of Death interrupts the sculptor’s work, staying the chisel in his left hand. She also holds a bunch of poppies, symbolizing eternal sleep.

CaliforniaPowers intended the symbolism to reflect good (the divining rod) versus evil (the thorns), with the additional moral message that all that glitters is not gold. “California” was the first sculpture by an American artist to enter the Metropolitan’s collection.

Nydia, the Blind Flower Girl of PompeiiHer closed eyes and staff allude to her blindness, while the hand raised to her ear refers to her acute sense of hearing. The destruction of Pompeii is symbolized by the broken Corinthian capital beside her right foot.

All Angels’ Church Pulpit and Choir RailThis pulpit and choir rail were originally from New York’s All Angels’ Church (demolished 1978).

Decorated Sword HiltThe Virgin Mary, surmounted by a crown of lilies, forms the grip and pommel. The guard has a dynamic composition composed of the Archangel Michael, symbol of Christianity and leader of the armies of heaven, vanquishing Satan, here a writhing dragon with a human face. The sword’s evocative sacred imagery is almost without parallel in the context of late nineteenth-century weapons.

Decorated Sword HiltThe Virgin Mary, surmounted by a crown of lilies, forms the grip and pommel. The guard has a dynamic composition composed of the Archangel Michael, symbol of Christianity and leader of the armies of heaven, vanquishing Satan, here a writhing dragon with a human face. The sword’s evocative sacred imagery is almost without parallel in the context of late nineteenth-century weapons.

Sword and Scabbard of Captain Richard FrenchThis innovative sword incorporates a three-dimensional figure as its grip, a feature inspired by French sword designs of the 1840s. Here, the armored female figure holds a shield with the American arms and a wreath of victory, imagery referring both to Athena as goddess of war and Columbia, personification of the United States. This is a second casting of a hilt designed by the Ames Manufacturing Company for a sword presented to Mexican War hero General Franklin Pierce by the State of New Hampshire in 1849. The recipient of the Metropolitan’s sword was Richard French, captain of the New York militia company known as the LaFayette Fusiliers. The sword was presented to him by the men of his company on June 21, 1850.

Sword and Scabbard of Captain Richard FrenchThis innovative sword incorporates a three-dimensional figure as its grip, a feature inspired by French sword designs of the 1840s. Here, the armored female figure holds a shield with the American arms and a wreath of victory, imagery referring both to Athena as goddess of war and Columbia, personification of the United States. This is a second casting of a hilt designed by the Ames Manufacturing Company for a sword presented to Mexican War hero General Franklin Pierce by the State of New Hampshire in 1849. The recipient of the Metropolitan’s sword was Richard French, captain of the New York militia company known as the LaFayette Fusiliers. The sword was presented to him by the men of his company on June 21, 1850.

Sword and Scabbard of Captain Richard FrenchThis innovative sword incorporates a three-dimensional figure as its grip, a feature inspired by French sword designs of the 1840s. Here, the armored female figure holds a shield with the American arms and a wreath of victory, imagery referring both to Athena as goddess of war and Columbia, personification of the United States. This is a second casting of a hilt designed by the Ames Manufacturing Company for a sword presented to Mexican War hero General Franklin Pierce by the State of New Hampshire in 1849. The recipient of the Metropolitan’s sword was Richard French, captain of the New York militia company known as the LaFayette Fusiliers. The sword was presented to him by the men of his company on June 21, 1850.

Field Armor of King Henry VIII of England (reigned 1509-47)This impressive armor was made for Henry VIII (reigned 1509-47) toward the end of his life, when he was overweight and crippled with gout. Constructed for use both on horse and on foot, it was probably worn by the king during his last military campaign, the siege of Boulogne in 1544, which he commanded personally in spite of his infirmities.

Colt Third Model Dragoon Percussion Revolver, Serial Number 12406Samuel Colt (1814-1862) was one of the most famous and successful American inventors and entrepreneurs of the early industrial age. By patenting the first mass-produced multishot revolving firearms, Colt achieved worldwide fame and a vast personal fortune. The Museum’s revolver is considered one of Colt’s finest. Apparently, it was created as part of a set of three pairs of gold-inlaid revolvers that Colt took with him to Europe in 1854.

头盔I think this helmet would be too funny for battlegrounds, except when enemies were distracted by it.

Processional CrossThis cross conveys the luxury found within churches that dotted the Christian kingdoms of northern Spain during the Middle Ages.

最后的晚餐This scene of the Last Supper clearly shows each disciple, including Judas, who is seen at the lower right clutching his bag of money, a reference to his future betrayal. The elaborate and detailed carving indicates that the sculpture came from an important ecclesiastical setting, such as a sacrament house that contained the elements for celebrating mass.然我感兴趣的是,我从来没有看到像这样圆形布局的最后的晚餐。

Ugolino and His SonsThe subject of this intensely Romantic work is derived from canto XXXIII of Dante’s Inferno, which describes how the Pisan traitor Count Ugolino della Gherardesca, his sons, and his grandsons were imprisoned in 1288 and died of starvation.

The Burghers of Calaisodin closely followed the account of the French chronicler Jean Froissart (1333 or 1337-after 1400) stating that six of the principal citizens of Calais were ordered to come out of the besieged city with heads and feet bare, ropes around their necks, and the keys of the town and the castle in their hands. They were brought before the English king Edward III (1312-1377), who ordered their beheading.

Andromeda and the Sea MonsterIn Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of the Aethiopian king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia’s hubris leads her to boast that Andromeda is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends a sea monster, Cetus, to ravage Aethiopia as divine punishment.
当天的下一站是洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)大楼观景台。理论上从大都会艺术博物馆过去是有公交车的,但是在这个时候我非常惊讶地发现当天早些时候买的MetroCard神乎其技地不见了,于是我们只好走回地铁站重新买一张。
关于奥林匹克大厦,我很难找到它悬挂希腊国旗的任何原因,除了它名字里有”奥林匹克”之外。(这看上去并不像归希腊资本所有的一座大厦。)
然后我们路过了圣巴德利爵主教座堂(St. Patrick’s Cathedral)。既然在它的开放时间,我们就进去转了一下,欣赏了一下它宏伟的内景。
因为当时我们感觉有点饿了,所以我们决定先在附近找些东西吃再去参观洛克菲勒大楼观景台,但是不久之后我们就发现这样安排有些欠妥。
以及我要吐槽一下国内的景点翻译。”Top of the Rock”里的”Rock”是洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)的缩写,然后国内的那些网站就想当然地把这地方叫做”岩石之巅”,想想都醉了。
同行的小伙伴在附近找到了一家叫做Five Guys的快餐厅。在我们看来这餐厅以开放厨房和无比油腻的任何东西著名。在等我们的汉堡的时候,我们观赏着厨房后面5个人的无缝配合。我一度以为这就是餐厅名字的来源,直到过了不久(可能由于他们忙不过来了)后厨房里神乎其技地跳出了第六个人。
关于门票,我们使用了纽约探索者通票,挑选了洛克菲勒大楼观景台、帝国大厦观景台和环线观光游轮,因为若只参观这三个地方的话探索者通票好像是最便宜的。
但当我们在游客中心排了很长的队伍拿到洛克菲勒大楼观景台的门票的时候,我们才发现门票上写着入场时间,然后那是一个小时之后。
所以我们一开始应该先排队拿到门票再去吃饭。但当我们把这个顺序搞错之后,我猜测Airbnb的房东对我们到凌晨才入住肯定会有不少看法。
所以接下来的一个小时内我就基本上在洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)中心周围闲逛。
对我来说,洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)大楼更多的意味着国家广播公司(NBC)的总部,它金光闪闪的样子每天在晚间新闻(Nightly News)的片头出现。虽然晚间新闻并不代表美国新闻业的最高峰(不难从Brian Williams事件中看出),但是它至少是为数不多的不要求订阅就可以国际访问的新闻节目。To me, if the Statue of Liberty is a monument to the idea of freedom, than 30th Rockefeller Plaza shall be that idea incarnated in the form of accessible information.
当天晚上,我猜测和其他晚上一样,洛克菲勒(Rockefeller)中央大楼的外墙被蓝紫色的探照灯点亮。我非常辛苦地找到这个角度,尝试着把其外墙的颜色处理成国家广播公司晚间新闻片头的金黄色。
不过在2016年末国家广播公司好像换掉了它晚间新闻的片头,变成全数字处理版本的了。
我们在晚上10点再次回到了洛克菲勒大楼观景台入口,然后继续排队等待坐电梯到顶楼。
我们离开洛克菲勒中心的时候已经非常晚了,我觉得那时候我的大脑已经困到不太工作了。所以简要概括一下我接下来的两个小时:坐错地铁(越站车)、在错误的地铁站下车、坐错地铁、发现我大脑里的目的地不是我真正要去的地方。最后是纽约的某出租车司机解救了我几乎不工作的大脑。(司机小哥听到我这个故事的时候表示非常惊讶。)
END
2016美国之行 纽约市第一天 by Huang's Site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.