I can’t believe it’s only my third day here, it seems like weeks since I was at home. My feet are sore, so is my head, I didn’t pack enough clothes, but I’m loving every minute.

I’d say the thing that’s made me smile the most has been tipping bartenders. Really. It’s makes it so much more than just customer servitude. In short, you tip $1 a drink – and after you buy three generally your next is on the house. Works out about even, and you know your extra money’s going to a person rather than to the corporate machine. Maybe I’ll make it my personal crusade to implement the system in the UK. Or maybe I won’t.

I’ve not found New Yorkers, so far, to deserve their reputation as brash and abrasive. The ones I’ve chatted with have been very welcoming. Actually, until yesterday I’ve found it rather hard to spend any money. The New Jersey lawyer I got chatting to at Band Of Horses insisted on buying me a variety of American beers. Fortunately today I found a cracking record shop in the East Village (possibly as good as Selectadisc) which has rectified that situation.

Other notes:

- The Statue of Liberty is a lot smaller than I expected
- CDs are cheap as hell ($11.99 + tax = 6.50)
- American keyboards don’t have pound signs, dammit
- Money is impossible to tell apart, particularly in a poorly-lit Tribeca club
- I really need a better camera for this kind of visit
- The subway is indeed full of crazy people, and is almost as badly designed as the dollar bills
- The view from the Brooklyn Bridge is truly spectacular
- I wish I could stay longer.