We are so obviously tourists, the four of us walking around in a little awe struck group with our cameras. Luckily the street layout is so straightforward that we don’t have to constantly stop and check maps, which would be even worse.

Yesterday we got a tour from a Big Apple Greeter, a lovely lady called Peggy who took us up to 42nd Street and showed us the cathedral, Rockefeller Centre, Grand Central and Library. It’s because she was there to tell us that I know I put a Joe on the uptown lion. Then we had dinner in the Heartland Brewery under the Empire State building. Red Rooster Ale is highly recommended, Skippy liked the wheat beer and the cider and Manda sipped her way through a couple of cocktails. The stout didn’t have enough body, sadly, and the pumpkin beer was as bad an idea as it sounds. We rounded off the evening, as mentioned, in the pub across the road, drinking bad IPA and suffering karaoke.

Today we went South, checked out Wall Street, shopped at Century 21 and hopped on the Staten Island ferry. We only hung around long enough to check out the WTC victims’ monument, a graceful pair of sweeping walls inspired by postcards, before coming back. Whilst we were on the ferry someone important landed at the southern heliport, we saw two helicopters in colour schemes similar to Marine One being escorted by three Chinooks. Tonight we’re off to a jazz club to meet up with Roo and Cardiff John, another two over here for Saturday’s wedding.

Update The helicopters may have been carrying Bush himself, as he did fly into the Wall Street heliport on Monday. The Coastguards were offshore guarding the river side.