Simply D.L.

East Coast So Far

So I have arrived in the east coast a week and a day ago for a vacation. Although I have lived here before when I was two years ago, it is the first time I’m here since then (first to be recorded in my memory). And I was born in Maryland. So it feel like I’m returning to my roots.

I am staying in New Jersey with relatives and had made a few trips to New York City so far. I admire the natural green in N.J. and the many buildings laced with a zigzagging fire escape in NYC considering I lived in a suburban neighborhood with nothing but houses, cement, and manicured grass.

Although I’m still in the same country, it is strange to see the differences such as the structure of the freeway, names of gas stations, and the road signs.

If there is one thing I’ll miss when I go back home is Strands. Opened since around the 1930s, the two-story bookstore with a huge basement sells a huge variety of gently used books if not new for great prices. Some books are the same price and most of them receive 10% to 30% price cut. I was lucky when I purchased the books I read before, This Contains Graphic Language (Comics as Literature) and Good as Lily; both of them were 50% off. And I was able to get Scott McCloud’s Zot: The Complete Black and White Collection not only five dollars off, but it is a signed copy from Mr. McCloud himself (and in his signature, he also included that lightning bolt).

Another plus is that nearby where I’m staying is the local library. And it is only a seven minute walk. The library looked small from the outside, but when I went inside, it was very spacious with a open room with armchairs to sit on and read. Being allowed to use my relative’s library card, I borrowed a few books to read.

One of the books I borrowed is a graphic novel Daisy Kutter: The Last Train by Kazu Kibuishi. I am surprised that it was a lot more entertaining than I expected. In brief, a laconic, skilled former outlaw who lives in the a semi-futuristic wild west where robots existed. I loved the graphics and its movement. And did I mention the person is a she?

And while browsing in a comic book store today, I discovered a book called Bookhunters by Jason Shiga. If you love action scenes but still love to read books, this is about a special police force working for the library to recover lost books. Enough said.

I am jealous of New York City’s strong literary heritage. I wished I lived here. Then again, watching stubborn pedestrians jaywalking and the cars and taxis squeezing through the stream of pedestrians on a left turn, I like the nice, quiet suburban neighborhood.

So that is the east coast so far. And it trips me to find out that it’s still afternoon in the west while it’s evening in the east.

I do plan to soon have a set date that I’ll update (and on a capricous whim probably add other entries on other days).