Donzerly light

Finally ‘did’ Times Square this morning, by which I mean took the chance to look around, not just go through it while running for the bus. I liked it, but I don’t know if it’s that much more amazing than the other big cities I’ve visited (Hong Kong being the one that springs to mind). I did like that it’s probably the one place in the world where you will see Elmo, Hello Kitty and Minnie Mouse within 3 metres (I’m sorry, 10 feet) of each other.

I visited Grand Central Terminal today. Standing on the stairs looking down onto the crowds going through the station, I found it just as peaceful as the High Line. 

I know that I will have much too little contact with people here to be able to have a good understanding of how they treat foreigners. But just to keep you updated, so far I have found pretty much all the Americans I’ve encountered to be polite and helpful, always saying excuse me before pushing past (I remember asking my mother two weeks into a Hong Kong trip how to say ‘excuse me’, because I’d never heard the expression before) and offering to give directions or advice whenever they realise we’re lost or tourists.

P.S. Poppyseed bagels with lox spread are amazing. Unfortunately I was on the go so I didn’t grab a New York Times to go with it, but it’s the thought that counts, right?