...we get up to drive to the airport at 4.30am for our Cancun flight - again not much sleep for either of us. I'll try to make up for this in Mexico......the guy at passport control addresses me with a hearty: "Cześć, jak się masz?" in correct but heavily accented Polish. When I just smile in return and see his unyielding gaze fixed on me expectantly, I blurt out that I'm good in reply. He seems reassured. Turns out he's half Polish hal...

...we book a Circle Line cruise around Manhattan - book it for 10am, mistakenly think it's for 11am, arrive late at 11.15am and get rescheduled for 12am...we enjoy unparalleled views over Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and even the Bronx from the waterside and I'm happy to find that the same amazing guide as last year still narrates the whole cruise with a million fascinating trivia to tell...we find out that people wish each other happy Mother's Day her...

...we decide to go shopping as the forecast for the next two days looks gloomy and rainy...we ride out to Jersey! Two subway trains and a local bus later we meet my dad and his girlfriend as they pick us up in a commuter town of Secaucus amid the drizzle in a very suburban setting...we drive to the mall and one hour later we immerse ourselves in promotions, offers and crazy deals – well Black Friday or Christmas sales it ain't, but I still fill up the t...

...it's cloudy but some sun is expected in the afternoon...we decide to explore Harlem this time, starting with the amazing and monumental cathedral of St. John the Divine and ending with a locally famous Levain Bakery for the most chocolaty and peanut buttery chocolate chip cookies ever! Raspberry roll is only so-so though....we walk around Midtown, feast our eyes on the neons of Times Square twice, stumble upon the NYC public library (unfortunately the main...

...I finally figure out the bizarre American single tap hot/cold water shower system and manage to get a hot shower without getting burnt...NYC greets us with rain and for a moment I feel like I'm in Brussels again...we decide to go to Battery Park and retrieve my knife, which we do and which we are happy to still find there......only to be forced to dump it in the cannon again when we go to the nearby American Indian Museum and are turned away at the door......