The big apple

 I spent the past two days exploring parts of New York City that I haven't been to before, after three days of meetings with my team and managers at company headquarters in Connecticut. On Friday night my team had a fantastic meal at The Standard Grill. On the weekend I toured the fascinating Tenement Museum, had brunch at Freemans, walked over the Brooklyn Bridge, went to the New York Transit Museum in a disused subway station, took in the view from the Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center), saw the works of top German and Austrian artists at the Neue Gallerie and ate in its Viennese-style Cafe Sabarsky, then marched through Central Park in the brisk -5 degree but sunny late afternoon. Oh and went shopping of course. Mainly clothes.

I love this city. Although I have chosen to move to "the country" (I suppose you'd call it that), and I absolutely love the peace it brings, I still like cities. I just do not want to live in the suburbs ever again. If I move back to a city, I swear I'll live somewhere smack bang in the middle of it. Where I don't need a car and have everything on my doorstep. Just like here in NYC.

As well as doing my normal job this week, I have been voluntary tourism ambassador for Tasmania, telling everyone about the gourmet and wilderness paradise that it is. What I discovered is that the only thing many people know of the place is Taz the Tasmanian Devil from the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoons. Some of those believe that it's a fictitious cartoon beast and not a real live (albeit increasingly threatened) animal.

Tomorrow the 30 hour trip home begins. I'm starting to look forward to some fresh Tassie air.

Brunch at Freemans

Walking over Brooklyn Bridge

An old subway carriage in the New York Transit Museum

Lovely old brownstones in Brooklyn Heights

Manhattan from Brooklyn Bridge

Sparrows warming themselves in the sun (it was -8 degrees)

Manhattan skyline from the Top of the Rock

Viennese-style lunch at the Neue Gallerie

Late afternoon sun in Central Park