New York City - See You Again (再见纽约）

The first time I went to New York was in 2006, but it barely counted. My company sent me there for a training session, and we were still living in Canada then. I remember the city as a blur outside a taxi window — skyscrapers flickering past like frames in a film I wasn’t allowed to watch. I flew in, sat in a conference room, and flew out again. New York was right there, pulsing just beyond the glass, but I never got close enough to feel its heartbeat.

My real encounter with the city didn’t happen until 2008, two years after we had moved to Houston. That year we took a road trip that felt like a journey stitched together by miles and memory. We drove from Texas all the way to Toronto, crossing old borders and revisiting familiar ground, and then turned south along the East Coast. Boston. New York. Washington. Each city rises up like a new scene in a long, unfolding story.

And when New York appeared this time, it wasn’t a blur. It was a skyline glowing against the evening, a rush of energy that hit the moment we stepped out of the car. The streets felt alive, the air electric, as if the city had been waiting for me to return on my own terms. That trip was the first time I experienced New York not as an obligation, but as a traveler with time to breathe, to wander, to let the city leave its mark.

After that fleeting brush with New York’s glittering skyline, I never imagined our family would cross paths with the city again. For years, New York lived only in stories — and most of them were warnings. Headlines, conversations, rumors… they all painted the city as unpredictable, dangerous, a place where you had to watch every step. Slowly, the New York I remembered blurred into a darker version shaped by other people’s fears.

So when our youngest daughter chose to go to college there in 2022, everything suddenly felt real. The city wasn’t just a distant idea anymore — it was where she would be living, walking, commuting, growing up. And for those first few months, worry settled into our daily lives like a constant background hum. Every time she went out, every time she didn’t pick up the phone right away, a small knot tightened in my chest.

I kept reminding her — maybe too often — to stay alert, to avoid taking the subway alone, to steer clear of crowded public places. It was as if I imagined danger waiting around every corner, as if the entire city were a maze of risks she had to navigate on her own. Beneath all those warnings was something simple and raw: the fear of letting your child step into a world you can’t fully shield them from.

The photos below were taken around the campus last year, on the day we dropped her off for the very first time. I remember walking those streets with her, trying to memorize every corner, every building, every bit of the world she was about to step into. There was a strange mix of pride and worry in the air — the kind that settles in your chest when you realize your child is beginning a chapter you can’t fully guide. Those snapshots became more than just pictures; they were our way of holding on to a moment when everything felt new, uncertain, and quietly overwhelming.

After rushing in and out of New York so many times over the year, this trip finally gave us the chance to slow down and truly feel the city. We wandered through the night market, strolled along the streets after dark, soaked in the glow of the skyline, and even took the subway to wherever we wanted to go. What surprised me most were the people — the relaxed faces on the sidewalks, the easy conversations on the train. Not the tense, watchful expressions I had imagined for so long.

Somewhere between those late‑night walks and those subway rides, I realized something important: New York is still very much the vibrant, magnetic city that young people dream about. A place where you can live freely, chase your ambitions, and still stay aware of your surroundings. The fear I once carried began to loosen its grip, replaced by a quiet understanding that the city is far more than the stories that had shaped my expectations.

Below are photos taken from the sky when flying to New York.

Photos taken on a night walk

(lost)

Food

In New York, food seems to spill out from every corner — every street, every block offering something different. Even on an ordinary weekday, you can spot long lines curling out the doors of certain restaurants, people patiently waiting as if the meal at the end is worth every minute.

WTC and 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Everyone remembers September 11, 2001. At the time, we were still living in Canada. I can still picture myself standing in the lobby of my apartment building that morning, staring at the television in disbelief as the news unfolded. The shock of that moment settled deep, the kind of memory that never really fades.

Today, when you stand on the same ground where the Twin Towers once rose, the landscape tells a different story. The new World Trade Center towers now reach into the sky, the 9/11 Memorial Museum rests quietly beside the reflecting pools, and the Oculus gleams like a futuristic cathedral of light. Several new buildings have risen around them, each one a reminder of resilience and renewal. It’s a place shaped by loss, but also by the determination to rebuild — a testament to how a city can carry its past while still moving forward.

Ferry from Manhattan to Staten Island

Visitors and commuters can take the free ferry between Manhattan and Staten Island, a simple ride that offers some of the best views of the city. That day, the sky was heavy and overcast, the kind of gray that softens the edges of everything. But as we boarded the ferry, the clouds suddenly parted, and the last rays of the setting sun broke through. The light spilled across the Statue of Liberty and washed over the Manhattan skyline, turning the buildings gold for a brief, breathtaking moment. It felt like the city was revealing a gentler side of itself, just long enough for us to take it in.

Some photos were taken on the streets

Manhattan night view from Brooklyn Bridge Park

Photographing the night view of Manhattan became the highlight of this trip. We took the subway into Brooklyn, emerging in the Dumbo neighborhood where the massive stone pier of the Manhattan Bridge towers overhead like a fortress. Standing beneath its steel arches, we looked out toward the Williamsburg Bridge shimmering in the distance, its lights stretching across the river like a string of stars.

From there, we made our way toward the waterfront, where the Brooklyn Bridge framed the skyline in a perfect sweep of cables and stone. The lights of Manhattan glowed across the water — bright, restless, alive — and for a moment the whole city felt suspended in that reflection. Each shot we took felt like capturing a heartbeat, a reminder of why New York’s nights stay with you long after you leave.

Veterans Day

When I passed Madison Square Park near the hotel on Saturday morning, the city was already buzzing with anticipation. The New York City Veterans Day Parade was just about to begin — marching bands warming up, flags being unfurled, veterans gathering in their uniforms. I paused for a moment, pulled out my camera, and quickly captured a few photos to remember the scene before the parade set off down the avenue.

Airport - Mobile photos

At LaGuardia Airport， even though it’s not Thanksgiving yet, it’s already filled with Christmas cheer.

Sunset Over The Clouds

On the flight back, the magnificent sunset above the clouds made me press the shutter again. Maybe this is not a scenery you encounter every time you travel.

Finally, post a work photo.

Thank you for your reading.