It started like this:

I arrived on Friday, Jan. 31st (Chinese New Year). Two days later was the Superbowl, an event I beheld with such indifference that I didn't even know that it was being held in New York City till after my arrival.
In fact, grey, dreary, angry, arrogant New York was not quite as grey, dreary, angry, and arrogant as usual: The festive mood of the Superbowl lifted things up, I think.
The Superbowl! It's not quite super enough for non-Americans to care even the smallest bit, though....


Two or three hours after leaving the airport arrival area, I arrived at "Neck Road" and met T.A. We walked around Manhattan that evening, as in my previous visit. He took my picture in front of the famous NY Public Library (at right), catching me looking down.

In our parents' or grandparents' generations, Americans and "Soviets" were officially enemies. The three of us are too young to actually remember.

It was alluring. I returned the next day (Saturday), alone, in the hours before my bus departed. I walked the entire length. Broadway was converted, that week, into "Superbowl Avenue", filled with football-related attractions, prize giveaways, tents full of video games to play (with the latest football games), and a lot of other stuff along those lines. Most excitingly was the free "Superbowl pizza", whatever that is. I didn't get any on account of the "super"-long line.
Even McDonald's put on a big "chicken nugget Superbowl sale":
I didn't watch more than ten minutes of the Superbowl.