A One-Day Trip to New York
On December 12, 2009, when the cold weather was raging with almost frightening intensity, several of my fellow professors in the same department and I decided on a whim and in good spirits, to take a day trip to New York City. We were four professors from four different countries—the United States, India, Hungary, and Korea. We differed in almost every visible way: our ages, facial features, skin colors, body types, and even our styles of dress. As we walked together, it seemed that passersby occasionally glanced at us with curiosity, but we paid no attention at all.
We met in the school parking lot in the early morning, piled into one car, and took turns driving. We traveled through Pennsylvania and New Jersey before finally entering New York State and reaching New York City at around nine o’clock in the morning. We parked the car near Penn Station, close to the New York City Subway, and set out on foot. Our simple plan, typical of a group of country folks visiting the big city, was to “see New York on foot.” Whenever we came across one of the many Starbucks coffee shops scattered around Manhattan, we would stop for a warm drink and then continue our walking tour.
The weather was extraordinarily cold that day. At one point, we bought some inexpensive knit winter hats from a street vendor and put them on to keep warm. We looked so ridiculous in our mismatched hats that we could not stop teasing one another. Laughing at our own appearance, we pushed our way through the crowds and wandered from street to street, enduring the biting cold of New York City. Somehow, the bitter weather only made the adventure more memorable and fun.
Within that single, very short day, we managed to visit several of New York’s famous attractions, including the world-renowned Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Macy’s, Times Square, and Koreatown in Manhattan. It was an ambitious itinerary for just one day, but we thoroughly enjoyed seeing the city together. Below, I introduce several snapshots that I personally took while walking around New York City that day.
That simple trip with friends left me with a wonderful collection of memories. For me, it served as a refreshing tonic, allowing me to step away, even briefly, from the dry and often monotonous routine of academic life. Looking back, I realize that the trip was not simply a sightseeing excursion. It was a small but precious moment of friendship, laughter, and freedom from everyday responsibilities—a day when four professors from four different countries became, for a few hours, simply four friends enjoying the streets of New York. +++
References
New York City
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
MoMA
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museum_of_Modern_Art
Koreatown, Manhattan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koreatown,_Manhattan
Time Square
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Square
Macy’s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macy’s
New York City Subway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway
The front of Macy’s department store. The Christmas decorations are particularly eye-catching. Macy’s is one of New York City’s world-famous department stores, traditionally serving as the starting point for the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which begins in front of the store.
백화점 Macy’s의 정면. 크리스마스 장식이 눈에 띈다. 매년 미국의 Thanksgiving Day (추수감사절) Parade를 이 백화점 앞에서 시작하는 전통이 있는 뉴욕의 세계적으로 유명한 백화점이다.
A side view of Macy’s department store. The words “The World’s Largest Department Store” are clearly displayed, emphasizing its long-standing reputation. The building itself is magnificent and beautiful, reflecting the grandeur and historic character of this world-famous New York landmark.
백화점 Macy’s의 측면 모습. 세계에서 가장 큰 백화점이라는 문구가 선명하며 건물이 아주 아름답다.
I was almost at a loss for words when I discovered that there was even a fortune-telling shop in Manhattan. I remember thinking, “Our Korean compatriots certainly have a lot of nerve!” Here they were, all the way in the United States, boldly running a fortune-telling business with a large sign written unmistakably in Korean displayed on the building. It was an amusing and somewhat unexpected sight—a little piece of Korea standing confidently in the middle of Manhattan.
Manhattan에 무슨 운명철학원이 있을 정도니 할 말 다했다. 우리나라 사람들 배짱도 좋구나 생각했다. 미국에서까지 와서 건물에 한글로 버젓하게 큰 간판를 내걸고 점집을 차려 영업을 할 정도니 말이다.
A Korean pharmacy in Manhattan. The photo is somewhat blurry because the camera was not properly focused, but there were quite a few Korean-owned shops in the surrounding area.
Manhattan에 있는 한국약국. 핀트가 잘 맞지 않아 흐릿한데, 주변에 한국가게가 꽤 있었다.
The Korea Way street sign hangs alongside West 32nd Street in Manhattan, marking the heart of Koreatown. I was so delighted to see Korean writing in the middle of New York City that I quickly took a photograph, and fortunately, it turned out quite well. New York City is filled with all kinds of large advertisements and distinctive street signs, some of which are quite fascinating and worth a photograph.
West 32nd Street와 나란히 걸려있는 Korea Way (한국타운) 도로표지판. 한글이 너무 반가워 얼른 찍었더니 괜찮게 나온 것 같다. 뉴욕시는 각종 대형광고물과 도로표지판 등이 많고 또 어떤 것들은 꽤 볼만도 하다.
A typical Manhattan crosswalk. The streets are almost always crowded, 24/7, with ongoing construction and road maintenance, street vendors, tour buses, taxis, and tourists arriving from all over the world. As shown in the photograph, I also came across quite a few Korean drivers during our trip.
일반적인 건널목 모습.각종 건설공사나 도로정비, 잡상인들, 단체관광버스나 택시, 그리고 전세계에서 몰려드는 관광객들로 거리는 늘 24x7으로 붐빈다.사진에서 보는 것처럼 한인운전자들을 여행 중에 꽤 많이 보았다.
당일치기 New York 관광
추운 날씨가 무섭게 맹위 (猛威)를 떨치던 2009년12월 12일 나는 같은 과에 근무하는 동료 교수들 함께 서로 의기 (意氣)가 투합하여 뉴욕 당일치기여행을 (?) 하였다. 국적은 다 달라서 미국, 인도, 헝가리 그리고 한국의 네 나라였다. 나이와 얼굴색깔부터 다르고, 체형도 다르고, 또 입는 옷의 스타일도 모두 서로 달라서 지나가는 행인들이 모두들 힐끔힐끔 쳐다보는 듯하였으나 우리는 전혀 개의치 않았다.
이른 새벽에 학교 주차장에서 만나 한 차에 함께 타고 번갈아가면서 운전하여 펜실베니아와 뉴저지를 지나 뉴욕주로 들어가 드디어 뉴욕시내로 아침 9시경에 진입하였다. 뉴욕시 지하철인 New York City Subway의 Penn Station역 (驛)에서 가까운 곳에 차를 먼저 주차하고 모두 내려서 시내에 드문드문 있는 Starbucks Coffee가게가 나올 때 마다 들러 따뜻한 음료수를 마셔가면서 뉴욕시내를 “발로 한번 구경해 보자”는 것이 우리 촌사람들의 소박 (素朴)한 계획이었다. 관광 도중에 날씨가 너무 추워 길거리에서 파는 싸구려 빵덕모자 (?)를 사서 쓰고 함께 돌아다니며 그 모습이 너무 우스꽝스러워 서로 놀려 먹으면서 그날따라 매섭게도 추웠던 뉴욕의 거리를 이리저리 인파를 헤쳐가며 걸어 다녔다.
우리는 다운타운에 위치한 세계적인 미술관인 MoMA (Modern Museum of Art)를 비롯하여, Macy’s, Time Square, 그리고 Manhattan의 Korean Town 등을 하루라는 짧은 시간에 모두 구경하였다. 아래에 내가 New York City를 돌아보면서 직접 찍은 몇 장의 스냅사진을 소개한다. 이러한 친구들과의 간단한 여행은 좋은 추억거리를 남겨주었고 나에게는 메마르고 너무나 단조로운 교수 (敎授)의 일상 (日常)에서 벗어나 기분전환 (氣分轉換)을 해주는 상큼한 청량제 (淸凉劑)와 같은 구실을 하였다. +++
2026년 9월 13일
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Prof. Dr. Young Choi (Editor in Chief) — Regent University
Young B. Choi is a Professor in the Department of Engineering & Computer Science at Regent University. He published 38 books with ‘Selected Readings in Cybersecurity’ (2018) (over 800 copies archived globally at university/college libraries around the world) and ‘Cybersecurity Applications and Artificial Intelligence’ (2023) available in seven major world languages. He proposed the world’s first global and universal telecommunications “Service Order Handling (SOH)” Model (T-SOH Model) (1995) with Dr. Adrian Tang. With this innovative research work, he received the IEEE NOMS ’96 Best Paper Award and became the first recipient of the Outstanding Contribution Award of the TeleManagement Forum in 1998. His research areas include Natural Language Processing-focused AI, AI-applied cybersecurity, network and telecom service management, and Korean studies on Gani Choi Rip’s Jeonggwan (靜觀: Quiet Contemplation) philosophy and Shilhak ( 實學: Practical Learning).
© K-GSP (K-Global Scholars and Professionals) Forum. All rights reserved. 2026.
Suggested Citation:
Choi, Y. B. (2026, September 13). A One-Day Trip to New York. K-GSP.