30-III-2004.
In NY.
The chinese bus was something I found by sheer accident - in that asian-american supermarket, where we bought all the stuff that the regular groceries don't carry, like kohl rabi, rice by the sack (20lb), stuff to make sushi and whatnot, they had a business card of this „Tomorrow's bus“ line, which said it rides to NYC for some ridiculously low price (about 50$, minus 5$ if you pay from your card via email and less again if it's a two-way ticket. The bus from DC to A-burg was 25$, but that's Greyhound's price for about 60 miles, and this is 350.). So I found them on the web, and paid online, and printed the email with the ticket -
N Norfolk 12:30 midnight* -> New York
N (2004-03-30 Tue) CN 04600
Direction:
New York: 96 Canal St, Chinatown, New York 10002
1. East Broadway station: F
2. Canal Street station: 4,5,6
3. Bus: M9, M22
Please bring a valid ID and a printout of this message with your signature to board this bus. And please arrive at the pickup location 30 mins early.
That's not exactly Norfolk, the city limits begin three blocks east. On the bus, all of them were Chineses, save for one Mexican, one black guy and one guy in military garb, and me. It takes a forever or two to cross the Chesapeake bay bridge, which is something insane - rode that way three years ago, and it's simply hypnotizing, for twenty minutes you see only the straight line of the road and water everywhere. Surreal. The bus makes one smoke break somewhere halfway, on Noo Joizy turnpike (sounds familiar from that Saja & Gaja** song), and arrives at Canal street at 6:30. By then I already knew how to navigate the subway, and was at work on time, with actually some time to pass first. Saw some huge rats down on the tracks, far bigger than any I ever saw. In the hallways of a station about halfway, I'd say lower Broadway, where I had to switch trains and levels, there's a large space where these pedestrian paths cross, and each time someone would play some music there. This time it was some black guy with a brass blower, trombone or sax, quite good.
The shot is through my window, next morning. This time my room was facing south, and it came as a downer that they left these lower buildings between the avenues, with dirty walls, including the one they converted into a garage. I made also an almost completely monochrome version of the photo, where I left color only on anything that was painted so. Which left two cars, terrace edge bottom left, one wall in the back, door above the left elevator and a few details. This is among the ten most expensive locations in the world, and they can't afford mortar and paint?
Straight to the office, and David was already there, and Jüzek (aka Big Smurf). Lucikly, the offices are on 15th floor and have their own terrace (which requires an access card, security, security, security), so at least I could go out to have a smoke once in a while. Made some interesting photos there. The toilet is a common lavatory for the whole floor, and opens by the same card. On the way back I can open the door with that card, but then there's another locked door that the thin concierge girl (south American, named Geneva (!)) has to press a button to open. Sometimes she'd be called to another room and I'd have to wait until she returns. Usually nobody else would to buzz me in, but then my sample of it is quite small, this happened maybe three times.
The same two pines, from below.
In the evening, Mohan took me to dinner into an Indian restaurant, just a couple of blocks from my hotel, which is in the middle of Little India, on Lexington. Interesting stuff, sounds like our cousine, just the spices are somewhat shifted. Beer was sort of regular, he says it's americanized, not the proper Indian.
Meanwhile, oma is with her brother in Germany, spending the winter.
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* look how they write the time the american way, not 0:30, and have to state „midnight“ to avoid confusion; however the date is asian, yyyy-mm-dd.
** yup I know it's New Jersey, but that's how natives pronounce it; the song is „America“ by Simon & Garfunkel
Mentions: Annenburg (A-burg), David Krakovski, Mohan Merchant, oma, Yisaac Kwiatnik (Jüzek), in serbian