writer's moll

Yes, it really is a wonderful town – the buzz it gives you is like no other, swivelling your head fast and furious to scuttle across roads safely, take in skyscraper marvels, watch convoys of siren screeching NYPD cop cars racing by, all the while being entertained with snatches of local speak that sound straight out of a TV sitcom. We also got to eat a delicious steak and see a Broadway show – a slick, fast and funny version of The Producers, with flawless performances from every member of the cast. On my list of Must Do recommendations would be a guided tour arranged by Apple Greeters - an organisation with the great idea of employing volunteers to show you around whatever part of New York you want. Our Greeter was a delight, her inspiring motive for volunteering simply wanting everyone to love New York as she did. She showed us Greenwich Village with infectious enthusiasm, regaling us with amusing anecdotes about her conversion from Irish Catholic to Jew, a sermon by her Rabbi on the dangers of condensing a story into a single sound bite, such as the “blue dress” in the Monica Lewinsky affair, not knowing that Monica was in the congregation, and the many protests against the war in Iraq in Union Square which go unreported in the press. Her view of President Bush as an ignorant man whom she was embarrassed to have representing her, contrasted sharply with that of a taxi driver, who thought him a good and intelligent man. On my What Not To Do list would be don’t kid yourself the trip is a money-saving exercise. Ok, the pound now buys almost two dollars and some things are cheaper, but with the tax on your purchases, the cost of the flight and the skyscraper cost of hotel rooms, you’ll need to spend a heck of a lot to save anything, so just enjoy the New York experience. What I love best about the city is the stunning art deco architecture. It may sound a bit wet, but Grand Central Station made me cry – it really is beautiful and buying train tickets seems almost incidental in a setting of such grandeur, tranquillity (yes, I know it’s crowded but it was somehow tranquil) and eating lunch to an awe inspiring light show played to the music of The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. And the Empire State building - one of the few places that doesn’t look better lit up at night. Someone once said they always took their lunch under the Eiffel Tower because it was the only place in Paris where he didn’t have to look at the damn thing but I didn’t want to go to the top of the Empire State Building precisely because it’d be the only place I couldn’t see it. And on our last night, dinner in Little Italy – as good a meal as I’ve ever eaten in Italy itself but with the added bonus of some New York humour thrown in.