I want to be a part of it .... New York, New York...

I arrived in the Big Apple at around 9pm on Saturday after a five hour flight from San Francisco. After surveying the subway map, I decided I couldn't make head nor fucking tail of it and thus decided to get a cab from JFK Airport to my hotel in Manhattan. The journey turned out to be one of the most frightening experiences of my entire life - the driver was an utter lunatic who paid scant regard for any law or safe practise. We were very nearly killed in one remarkable escape on a freeway, which to me confirmed this was a reckless driver rather than someone who knew what they were doing. So when we got to my hotel, I thought there was no way on sodding earth that I was going to give this man a generous tip - as is custom here - so I gave him a couple of dollars on top of the actual fare. He grabbed it off me without saying a word. What is it with this fucking country? You nearly get killed, and still you are expected to tip a handsome amount.

I have never been a big fan of tipping, partly because I'd admittedly rather spend the money on myself, but also because generous tipping unquestionably gives employers an excuse to keep wages low. The tip, in effect, is a payment to the boss - not the worker. But, when in Rome etc, I have been tipping over here in the States. I just resent how it's expected for the most innocuous tasks - like doing your fucking job! Perhaps I've got the wrong attitude. When I get back to work next week, I might start insisting on a tip every time I'm asked to write a press release.

Anyway, on Saturday night I ventured out to a club called 'Splash' in NYC's Chelsea area. It was, by some considerable distance, the best club I have visited during my six months away. It was modern, relaxed and the music was amazing. Unfortunately it was a bit too good, and I didn't leave the place until after 5am, which rendered me completely and utterly useless for the whole of Sunday. I just about managed a walk up to Central Park, where I stayed for all of 20 minutes before spending the evening in my hotel room.

Fortunately, today (Monday) I had a bit more spunk about me. Or something like that. I got up at a reasonable time, and walked from my hotel in Times Square to the United Nations. I was quite excited in a strange kind of way to see the headquarters of one of the 20th century's most important institutions.

In truth, the UN tour was a let-down. The tour guide said very little of any interest, and the place itself reminded me of various local authority buildings I have visited across England. You would not have thought you were visiting Norfolk County Council rather than the United Nations. The guide summed things up when she said a refurbishment of the building was planned because it leaked water onto delegates whenever it happened to rain in New York...

From the UN, I deliberately took a long walk through Manhattan to my next destination - Ground Zero. As I made the long journey, I was struck by how vibrant the city was. I had always expected New York to be just a series of long, straight streets with faceless skyscrapers on the side. In fact, it reminded me more of London than any other place in the world I have ever been to. Restaurants, cafes, bars and shops thrived wherever you looked.

When I finally made it to Ground Zero, there were only a handful of tourists milling around. Everyone else was making their way home from the various places in the financial district. There is no real memorial here yet - just a few signs indicating that the new 'Freedom Tower' will actually include one. I was surprised to see the place still appeared to be a building site and that remnants of the Twin Towers were still visible. What has been going on here for the last six years? It looked no different from the pictures I first saw of Ground Zero a long time ago. Even so, I didn't feel comfortable photographing such a place. I stayed only a few moments before heading back to the hotel.