Had a pretty good flight back to NYC. The transit through Heathrow was really enjoyable, and I spent a few hours immersing myself in the sleek smoothness of Terminal Five, pretending to be part of an exclusive jetsetting segment of society. British Airways continues to have less than remarkable service, but the crew delivers the service with such touching self-consciousness: they know they come off as unimpressive, and their good-natured bantering and self-deprecation in the face of this knowledge is somehow endearing. It makes me much more forgiving about the quality of the food and the entertainment system!
Anyway, right after arriving in NYC, went out for dinner with YR, G, WL, YR's friend WR and YR's mum. We didn't go far; the cold in NYC was pretty daunting, especially after coming from a place that was 40 degrees warmer. In the Cuban restaurant opposite school, we had a slow dinner and a long reunion, catching up with what YR and WL had been up to in the depths of the NYC winter while the rest of us had returned home. Yes, New York is undoubtedly gloomy, cold, grimy, disorganised, expensive and challenging - it is, in short, not (yet) home; but in the warmth of the restaurant, talking to these friends over generous portions of Cuban fare, there is no denying that it is good to be back here.
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The next day, left with G for Washington DC for a short 2-day visit to the city. It really wasn't much time, and we were working on a pretty punishing schedule, walking for hours on end trying to take in as much as we could, but we still managed to see four different sides to DC, I think.
The first was the lifestyle of a family living in one of the DC suburbs. My mum's old university friend lives in DC, and my parents had enlisted her to transport some goodies over to the States for Chinese New Year. That was before my sudden return to Singapore, and so the goodies had rested unclaimed in her house until now. We made contact, and received incredible hospitality, including one whole storey of the house dedicated to guest accommodations, home-cooked dinners and breakfasts, and daily lifts to and from the nearest Metro station. We really couldn't have asked for more. The most enjoyable parts were definitely the dinners we had, with Aunt CK and her husband and young son N. The young boy is 7 years younger than me, but he is already taller than I ever will be; and he was impeccably well-behaved, articulate and helpful, leaving us as guests feeling wholly inadequate to repay all of this. Aunt CK and her husband, too, were warm and open, and we easily entered into long after-dinner conversations about US and world politics, sociology, engineering, school days and American life. It was a scene right out of the pages of what I see as the American dream: a warm family, a great dinner, and pre-electronic entertainment involving the engagement of minds in real time with each other.
A second aspect was, of course, monumental DC. We spent quite a lot of time wandering around the National Mall and Downtown DC, and while the buildings are ornate and impressively immense, you can't help but wonder whether they're really necessary, especially when the sheer scale of the structures force you to endure minutes of empty streets as you try to go around a single block. After all, marble in itself doesn't strike me as interesting, and the monument district seemed to me to be especially devoid of life and thus of purpose. However, when the sun came out today in the afternoon, the monuments looked much more impressive, invigorated by the play of light and colour. Against the wide blue sky, the bulk of the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial became moving in their scale and what they mean to Americans and the rest of the world. And there was a nice stretch along the Potomac River connecting Georgetown with the monument district that offered such breathtaking views; though the walk took about an hour, it was well worth it, and exceedingly pleasant in its serenity, its not-too-cold temperatures and its incredible vistas.
A third aspect was Georgetown. Hooked up with YM again this second time that I visited DC, and she brought us around this lively neighbourhood near the eponymous university. Here, then, was the city life that I had been looking for: streets bustling with people, interesting shopfronts beckoning every few metres, places that are insider secrets (like the delightful cafe with excellent coffee and cupcakes, or the restaurant with impeccable service, or the staircase and house where The Exorcist was filmed) - in short, a human-scale place. And the thing was that, without YM, we wouldn't have figured it out ourselves that Georgetown, far from any Metro stop, accessible only by bus or car, was actually the Main Street of Washington. After the cold immensity of the monuments, Georgetown was a decided delight and quite a relief too.
And finally, of course, there is the Washington that is on the verge of celebrating the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. Everywhere, you see cheap Obama merchandise on sale, from pins to t-shirts. More tasteful (and tasty!) are the limited-edition merchandise put out by the shops of Georgetown: Obama-themed cookies, chocolate White Houses (in milk or dark), limited-press inauguration wines. There were also all the cordons, troops and convoys speeding through the streets of the capital, lights flashing and engines revving. There were the special events that attracted immense crowds to the monuments, creating waves of humanity trying to funnel ineffectively into the overburdened Metro system. There were the big screens, and the innumerable flags of all sizes. And of course, there were the good spirits of all the people there, all laughing together at the spectacle of hundreds of people daftly braving the cold for a peek at some famous dignitary, waving at convoys though the dark-tinted windows meant they had no idea who they were cheering on, being polite and helpful amindst the chaos of crowds (including the section of troops who all gathered around one map to deduce for us the shortest route to a Metro station). It all added a much-welcomed buzz to the city, and all that joy made it clear that we were in DC at a time where things really matter there, even though we would be missing the actual inauguration.
It was definitely a great trip, then. To me, it was like a highly compressed exchange programme, including a stay with a local family, many long, long walks, visits to monuments, the nearest water body (the riverside walk was spectacular), and the local market district, rides on the local mass transit, and random encounters that enriched our trip and proved that it is always a good idea to simply walk outside and place yourself in a place where things are likely to occur.
*
We slept all the way on the bus, back from DC to NYC via Philadelphia (I was really surprised to find that the bus took this rather long detour), properly tired out by all the walking and exploring that we had done over the last two days. And despite the rocking bus hurtling rather disconcertingly down the wide, smooth highways, and despite the landscape outside worryingly turning more and more snowy, I had one of the most comfortable rides ever. And, of course, the company was great. G has gamely kept up with all the punishing walks that I had made us embark on, sharing in every part of this trip and thereby making this trip all the more acutely experienced. I do believe that I have been lucky enough to find another travelmate. Maybe even a new soulmate; hopefully, the first of many, but realistically...we'll see what happens from here on in.
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I was really in no hurry to arrive in NYC, partly because the bus trip was so pleasant, but also because tomorrow, the new term starts, and I wanted to linger on the winter break, truncated though it was by the unexpected emergency at home. I do think, after all, that it has been a good break, if not wholly what I expected or hoped for. It has definitely been a worthwhile pasage of time, at least. But when we emerged from the Holland Tunnel into Manhattan, and saw the familiar grungy streets and the wrought green metal of the subway entrance, I realised that, after all, it is still good to be back here, in this city, regardless of anything else. When one returns, one brings with one new perspectives and experiences through which to interpret the place that one is returning to. In my experience, every return has allowed me to reinterpret a place such that it has become more compelling for me, more meaningful. And so, with every return, NYC seems more exciting, more accessible, friendlier. Similarly, Singapore seems more promising, more valuable, richer. In this way, returning is not an end of a trip, but a continuation of a theme across different locations. It is a comforting thing to discover this.
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