NYC:04

Today was a day of extremes. From a quiet sunny walk around Red Hook, to the neon lights of Broadway.

Red Hook has a reputation for being dangerous. There seems to be a section of the suburb that has high-rise 'commission' housing which might be, in part, responsible for this idea. Most of Red Hook isn't based around this commission housing. It's a port and shipping area, without any subway connections to the rest of Brooklyn and the cities of New York. The place is a haven for artists and creative types - which makes it strange and lovely, and a possibly a hidden gem.

Kiki took me on a walking tour of the area which included Steve's Keylime Pie shop, the piers and the park outside IKEA. The only IKEA store in New York, it is serviced by a water taxi that shuttles between Red Hook and Manhatten for those who require Swedish flat-pack furniture - which is no small number, by all accounts.

The cafes, restaurants and bars of Red Hook are friendly and off-beat, and quite excellent. There are community gardens and shared spaces - and while it doesn't feel at all like a sea-side town, it does feel like a close-knit neighbourhood.

From a quiet, fine day of walking around interesting streets, to one of the world's most famous: Broadway and Times Square.

We were off to the city: a dinner and a show. First eating a delicious meal at a China Town szechuan-style restaurant before making our leisurely way to the Minskoff Theatre to see The Lion King.

The show was extraordinarily good. Gorgeous costuming and wonderful voices - our front-row seats really did give great eyes and ears for both.

The Minskoff's windows look directly out at Times Square and all the neon signs and video screens. Leaving the show at after 11pm, the night was banished by the white unnatural lighting and it felt like midday rather than nearly midnight.

We weren't ready to go home yet, so we crossed the road to a very touristy Irish (cough) pub. It was lovely sitting there, supping beer and talking before grabbing a wee-small hours-taxi for home.

The evening was topped off by a rare celebrity sighting - forgive the unsteady camera - due to the New York cabbie and general excitement of seeing someone so famous:

NYC:03

The weather here in New York is just gorgeous. Clear, cool Spring days - I think I've struck it really lucky.

Today I walked across Brooklyn Bridge and then took the Subway for the first time, popping up at the entrance to Central Park. The place was teeming with people, but everyone seemed to have quite low energy, so there was a calmness to the place that was much appreciated.

Meandering along the paths, way finding people and sights. We couldn't resist taking a ride on the beautifully restored Central Park Carousel - at $2 for a 3-minute ride, this has to be the best bargain in the entire city of New York.

We walked and walked - checked out park performers, fountains, statues, The Boat Shed, up under and through the many bridges - it really was a lovely long walk through a wonderful park.

We were surprised and pleased to find that when we were kind of done with the park, we had not only made our way to the other side of the Park, that the Metropolitan Museum of Art was not only right there, it was a late night and we were able to keep meandering, but now through the cool halls of Byzantine Art exhibits and Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings!

"The Mourners from the tombs of the Dukes of Burgundy are deeply affecting works of art. Beyond their evident visual and narrative qualities, we cannot help but be struck by the emotion they convey as they follow the funeral procession, weeping, praying, singing, lost in thought, giving vent to their grief, or consoling their neighbor. Mourning, they remind us, is a collective experience, common to all people and all moments in history."

Sophie Jugie, Director, Musée des Beaux-Arts. Dijon

The Mourners were gorgeous and moving. 37 individuals in a procession in mourning, their detail delicate and gorgeous - the subtle colour in the marble not visible in the online reproductions. I actually could have spent all day studying these guys - they were really quite wonderful.

The really pleasent surprise about The Met though, is how fantastic the cafeteria is. An array of courses and foods of restaurant quality are offered, with payment made by weight (after subtracting the weight of the plate). I had a heaping plate of wonderful salads, a glass of pineapple juice and fresh bread for US$10. I was impressed, happy, and no longer hungry by the time we were done.

..and we were worried about how we'd spend our time between the Park and going through to Harlem for jazz.

So off to to find jazz. John had suggested yesterday that we go to either the Cotton Club or Showman's in Harlem for good Jazz.

We struck up a conversation with a 8-year veteran of the bar named Andre. He not only regaled us of stories from his life, but helped keep us on the straight and narrow as far as bar rules go: no rowdiness, no over-indulging, polite conversation and keep the bar stools tucked tightly against the bar. Mona is the owner and runs a tight ship - she looks after her customers and made sure we ate, we were happy and in the end, had a good car to travel home in. The place wasn't cheap - but we were only there for a couple of hours and one set of Jazz. It was good fun and a great end to a groovy second day.

NYC:02

Today was the tour, by water, of the Island of Manhattan. Circle-Line Sightseeing offer a number of options to see New York, and with the weather as glorious as it was, we chose the 3 hour full island cruise - sounds almost tropical, doesn't it!

It really was a great way to get my bearings of the city, and also to realise how many bridges connect to Manhattan - in the end we'd sailed under 20. I kinda like bridges.

Coming ashore we walked up 42nd Street and found a bunch of neon lights as we got closer to Broadway. Grabbing a cab, we tottled across town to Chelsea Market. I was really hanging out for a good coffee, so we stopped at 202, hitched ourselves to a bar stool and ordered espresso, with the intention of seeking out the rest of the market shortly thereafter - we never made it, of course - we were absorbed into a larger-than-life John Lewis who diverted first our attention, and then our plans.

To make a long story short, we ended up staying for a few non-caffeinated drinks then moving on to eat a delicious meal at Pastis. Afterwards, John invited us to accompany him and see some new comedians at a comedy club in the next block.