New York

Well I have arrived safely and found the hotel. The journey was uneventful after getting around the issue of the man deciding to kill himself (either accidentally or deliberately) at Ipswich tunnel meaning a coach journey making me nearly 2hrs late to London. This was right on the edge of the time I had allowed myself extra ad I thought if I could get across town quickly then I might make half an hour back. London Bridge tube station is divided into two halves with about 500 yards in between and as I ran with suitcase I reached the platform to see a train leaving. After a lot of cursing I realised that the train I wanted was just arriving and I had missed the previous train. After that all was smooth if indeterminable.

The hotel is ok, a bit worn around the edges and not as nice as promised but comfortable and with a nice air con unit which keeps the place very cool. It is right next to Penn station in the centre of Manhattan close to the subway and easily accessible to all the sites. Spend this morning on a bus familiarising myself with the general layout and also at Battery Park reading with a view of the Statue of Liberty. Last night someone rattled the hotel room door and it is amazing that my immediate thought was to call the security people. It is odd how the reputation of a place affects your judgement in different situations.

First impressions include the fact that it is always busy. In London there are often quiet side streets but due to the grid system there are no minor side streets, everything is a major highway.

The subway is as with London and Paris confusing to start with but easy when you get it sussed out.

Everyone seems to have a uniform - like the Parks Police (is this different to the NYPD or a branch) dress differently as do the airline security etc.

I keep walking into people because in England you pass right shoulder to right shoulder but in America it tends to be left shoulder (as in Paris - probably due to the side of the road that people drive on.)

There is so much going on and so may products to choose from (35 free TV stations on the hotel set although CNN is fuzzy) that it seems like everyone is shouting (either literally or metaphorically) and to get noticed you have to be louder, brighter, more crazy that similar products.

Only seen 2 posters of David Beckham and lots of Derek Jeter (baseball) so not quite cracked New York yet.

Bye for now - going to look at the Empire State Building