things change...
Yes, we all know that things change. But it doesn't mean we have to like it. I came back to my hometown (NYC) and discovered that two things I found much joy in holding in my mind are gone.
My grandma died recently. Yes, the same grandma I wrote so lovingly about a few posts back. I came back to visit her grave site because it is the chinese holiday of Ancestor's remebrance. On the way up to her gravesite, I had to say goodbye to her garden and on the way back, I had to say goodbye to my favorite place in NYC.
She and my grandpa loved to garden. he had beautiful rose bushes in the front and she had beautiful zinnias, daffodils, and other dramatic flowers in the back. Now that both grandparents are dead, the family is going to rent out. For ease of management, they are going to pave over the gardens. Then they don't have to hire someone to take care of the garden and it is just a lot easier. My mom had her backyard paved over with green and red concrete because she didn't like bugs. The green was to abate my protests over the destruction of grass and green space. In their defense, the garden has gone fallow for a few years now but the soil is so rich everything wants to grow there. Returning it to its former glory would be very easy.
Upon returning from the cemetery, we were to pass one my favorite spots in NYC. It is a small concrete island on the southbound side of the FDR between exits 16 and 17. It is under the various ramps that shuttle people between highways and streets. On this island there are usually various pieces of junk lying around (e.g., old furniture, stuffed animals, thigh-masters, etc). The thing is, if you drive by a few times (e.g., a couple of weeks in a row), you will notice that the "junk" is displayed
is particular ways. Once I saw all the stuffed animals having tea together. Another time, things were set up like a workout gym. My favorite display, that I saw whilst speeding by at 40 miles an hour was a living room set up with a man in a sport coat sitting at a barcalounger reading the paper.
Well, as we neared that spot, there was a lot of construction equipment lining the highway. My heart sobbed no though I tried to keep it under wraps and hope that it wasn't gone too. As we drove past that concrete island, I saw a large dirt hill covering my beloved concrete island. That's gone too, probably permanently, since construction in NYC takes decades to finish.
sigh...
My grandma died recently. Yes, the same grandma I wrote so lovingly about a few posts back. I came back to visit her grave site because it is the chinese holiday of Ancestor's remebrance. On the way up to her gravesite, I had to say goodbye to her garden and on the way back, I had to say goodbye to my favorite place in NYC.
She and my grandpa loved to garden. he had beautiful rose bushes in the front and she had beautiful zinnias, daffodils, and other dramatic flowers in the back. Now that both grandparents are dead, the family is going to rent out. For ease of management, they are going to pave over the gardens. Then they don't have to hire someone to take care of the garden and it is just a lot easier. My mom had her backyard paved over with green and red concrete because she didn't like bugs. The green was to abate my protests over the destruction of grass and green space. In their defense, the garden has gone fallow for a few years now but the soil is so rich everything wants to grow there. Returning it to its former glory would be very easy.
Upon returning from the cemetery, we were to pass one my favorite spots in NYC. It is a small concrete island on the southbound side of the FDR between exits 16 and 17. It is under the various ramps that shuttle people between highways and streets. On this island there are usually various pieces of junk lying around (e.g., old furniture, stuffed animals, thigh-masters, etc). The thing is, if you drive by a few times (e.g., a couple of weeks in a row), you will notice that the "junk" is displayed
is particular ways. Once I saw all the stuffed animals having tea together. Another time, things were set up like a workout gym. My favorite display, that I saw whilst speeding by at 40 miles an hour was a living room set up with a man in a sport coat sitting at a barcalounger reading the paper.
Well, as we neared that spot, there was a lot of construction equipment lining the highway. My heart sobbed no though I tried to keep it under wraps and hope that it wasn't gone too. As we drove past that concrete island, I saw a large dirt hill covering my beloved concrete island. That's gone too, probably permanently, since construction in NYC takes decades to finish.
sigh...
posted by Matty Lau at
8:19 AM
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