NY

It’s very rare for ICCAD to be held in New Jersey.

The first night

The flight over 17 hours has already exhausted me. However, the queue at JFK immigration service was even more horrible😱. After a long long long journey, I finally arrived at the conference hotel. I didn’t expect that the most frustrating thing was waiting for me. The hotel could not confirm my reservation. I was arguing with the service provider while enduring the headache after an extra-long flight. I almost became homeless at 3 a.m. in Newark.

Not over yet. The worst part is when I was lying in bed at 4 a.m. and I knew I had to get up at 8 a.m. to participate in some competition.

Broadway

Thanks ICCAD for inviting us to enjoy The Lion King.

Before the show started, I spent some time walking around Times Square. Dazzling signs, crowded crowds, and the smell of seeds; this place is really New York.

Although I was already familiar with the story of The Lion King, the show was totally new to me. The exaggerated stage effects made me feel like I was in the grassland. But if I had a choice, I would rather watch the original Hamlet😂.

Theatre	Inside

In fact, the most exciting thing was that the Dodgers vs Yankees world series was being played at Yankee Stadium in the same city. I didn’t get a ticket so I could only watch the games every night on TV.

Halloween

I had a wonderful time at The Met. I took too many photos. But everyone still have to visit museum in person.

The Met	exhibit

Central Park is adjacent to The Met. If it were not winter, I would like to have a picnic.

Streets were full of Halloween deco. But I chose to eat Asian food every meal😆. So not much Halloween atmosphere.

And I really love the sunset at the High Line and the night view of the Brooklyn Bridge:

Sunset at High Line	Night view of Brooklyn Bridge

I’m grateful for the hospitality from my friends at high school. A great dinner!

Princeton

Thanks Xinchun for showing me around Princeton. A beautiful town and a beautiful campus.

Department of Physics:

The wall of Nobel Prize laureates	Library (with board games)

(Actually the Nobel Prize in Physics 2024 had just been awarded to the AI field, which was a very controversial result…)

I also took a walk to the Institute for Advanced Study. The environment is so quiet. I sat quietly for a while beside the famous small lake.

Leaving day

A glimpse of the Statue of Liberty:

the Statue of Liberty at dawn	Manhattan