That would be my Grandmother, on my dad's side, and that's how you refer to your paternal grandmother in Chinese. She's 86, and living by herself in the big city! I must admit that I'm slightly jealous. And a whole lot AMAZED. So in celebration of her today, I thought it fitting to write a little blog that sums up my love affair with the city and my amazing grandmother.
Not to mention that this morning I was awakened by the sounds of honking outside my building. It suddenly transported me back to NYC, when I used to visit her as a kid. I was overwhelmed with this very intense feeling. It was like deja-vu, but more than deja-vu. Isn't it amazing how a few sounds or smells can do that to ya?
And so, for a couple moments – just like that – I felt like I was back in the city.
We visited at least once or twice a year, spending many weekends walking from her apartment in Lower Manhattan to Chinatown – haggling over fake LVs, squeezing into tiny wonton, noodle, and congee shops the size of a jail cell, then ducking into an aromatic Chinese bakery for relief from the sweltering sun + egg custard tarts and tea. There's nothing like it. Later – be still my beating heart – we would literally walk EACH of the nine floors of the iconic MACY*S in Midtown, the world's largest department store (oh, don't give me that - it's also a NYC registered landmark)! Other times we would stroll through SoHo and hit up Pearl River. What's Pearl River? Um, it's only the biggest and *best* Chinese goods and novelty mart accessible to Americans. I am a city girl, through and through!
More defining, perhaps, is that I'm an East Coast girl through and through. One of my earliest memories is being held as a young child by my Ma-Ma, who was *showing me off* to one of her old Chinese friends. I recall the impression of that lady's missing teeth, wrinkly skin, and when she said I was so cute that I could live with her anytime – how that scared me! I didn't know then that I would hold such a deep regard for the city, or that momentary pangs of "I-wish-I-had-lived-in-NYC-at-least-once" would come on, full-force, at random times all throughout my life.
I will never think of NYC without thinking of my grandmother. Every now and then, when I am in the Printers Row area of Chicago, I am momentarily transported back to the City Hall District in Lower Manhattan on a quiet Sunday afternoon. It's not really the same vibe, but there are slices of streets, sounds, and architecture that bring me back to the city. The sounds of NYC are both obtrusive and welcoming all at the same time – but I love it! The constant buzz, traffic, energy pulsing. Don't stop, don't look back, keep going. And repeat.
I can't wait until I can get back there to visit my grandmother, I'm hoping this Fall.
{ I'm not embarrassed to admit that I actually do own one of these iconic tees, as well as a FDNY tee }
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