New York – Manhattan (From Grand Central to Statue of Liberty and China Town)

While vacationing with family in CT during the summer of 2005, my husband, son and I took a day trip to New York City and our main destination was The Statue of Liberty. That was my second visit to the Statue of Liberty but first of my son and first of my husband too even though he had lived no more than 2 hours from New York most of his life before moving down south.

New York – Taking Feizi to Empire State Building and Times Square

Feizi

Feizi and I at Time Square

Feizi is a classmate and friend from college, one of the seven girls from my class. By mid 1990s, four of us had moved to the States and one to Canada. While 6 of us had managed to stay in touch, no one knew where Feizi was for more than a decade until the spring of 2008.

New York – Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum

Scrolls from Qing Dynasty

Almost every time we visit my parents in law, my husband and I would take a day trip to New York City. The recent one was during our Christmas vacation more than a week ago. An easy one hour train ride took us from CT to Grand Central where the subway picked up till we reached uptown Manhattan. The destinations of the day were Guggenheim and Metropolitan Museum and we were lucky to have with us uncle Mat who is a talented artist. Uncle Mat gave us passes to both museums and walked through Guggenheim with us.

Most Stunning Foliage: Grandfather Mountain, NC

Another fantastic view from South Side of Bridge

A North Carolinian since I moved to the United States, I’ve always been appreciative of the diverse topography of its land and the beautiful landscape it boasts from its coastal area on the verge of Atlantic Ocean to its mountainous terrain on the western side of the states. Having been to and through the western part of the state many times, I’ve seen the mighty mountains clad in different lights, colors and atmosphere. To me, nature preens up the area the best in autumn.

Summer Zoo

Our Colorful Posse

When I was a kid, I preferred school over summer. School was actually ‘more interesting’ in those days, we didn’t need to study much but we did a lot of field trips and activities. During the summer though, my friends and I were left to entertain ourselves with almost no help, no TV or video games or toys. I was bored after I scoured the library on the compound and ran out of books to read. The only summer I got to travel overshadowed the rest and stood out distinctively in my memory.

My Biltmore Saga

Sweeping View from the Enchanting Veranda

Since I moved to the states, North Carolina has been home and I’ve always lived no more than 2 hours away from Biltmore Estate. After I went back to Biltmore twice this summer, I reckoned a record of six visits over the course of 19 years.

Family Ritual on the Jersey Shore

 

The family Circle on the Beach

My husband’s family, from his dad who is the eldest of nine siblings, has a tradition. They have been vacationing together over the summer on Midway Beach for over a decade.