Member-only story
TRAVEL
I Fell In Love With Those Rude New Yorkers
My first visit to New York in 1988 — some incredible human encounters
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At the time of my secret trip to New York when I was 17, New York City was one of the most dangerous cities in the US. New Yorkers had a reputation of being rude and cold to strangers. Visiting there alone was like a crazy thing to do, not to mention as a young female. But I was different, and I was fearless.
Secret trip — an elopement
The first time I went to the Big Apple was like an elopement because it was a trip to meet my first and secret boyfriend, an Englishman who would be on the East Coast for his work.
Those were the years that I didn’t get along well with my mother, who moved to California one year after I had moved there. It was our first year officially living together as a family, not just one of those occasional one or two-month-long stays with her during my childhood. I hated the new arrangement that was made without my consent. All I wanted was to be with my boyfriend and leave home to live with him.
My first boyfriend worked for an American company and was stationed in Inner Mongolia as an engineer…
