Tuesday - our first full day in New York, it turned on some typical NY movie weather: rain, shiny streets, reflections of headlights. Yellow cabs, bicycles. Black mothers bringing their little girls home from school. Lots of small cutesy shops, glowing neon, steel cellar doors open in the sidewalk (watch where you step!!), those external fire escapes as if finely drawn, in ink, on the decaying buildings. We set off with umbrellas for a late lunch, around 4, to the famous Katz's Deli ("Send A Salami - To Your Boy In The Army"). None of the staff smiled or went out of their way, so you got the shortest answers. But Bill Clinton was photographed there, and Jerry Lewis, Elliot Gould, Ben Stiller,and lots of celebs I didn't recognise. We shared a corned beef on rye, for only $14.99 + tax! with dill pickles thrown in, and coffee ($3.60). Bought some postcards too.

Wednesday (yesterday) the Met, some sumptuous Matisses and I laughed for joy with Dubuffet's. When we left it was raining, and we'd forgotten the umbrellas; I didn't want to go back up to the 12th floor - the elevator is too slow. Heading on down in the rain for the Essex St Subway station, Adrienne found a discarded inside-out brolly. Up it went but straightaway blew inside-out again; I said to her: you are a sailor, head it into the wind! Then I found another, in the trash. Got a photo.

Today we are heading for MOMA, the Museum of Modern Art.

For lots more photos please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeblake/