...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......

...we pick up all our online deliveries, shop for groceries (marveling at the choice of fattening and life-threatening snacks in even the smallest of stores), make breakfast and head out exploring...we visit the Statue of Liberty (shamelessly cutting in the line, which would normally have taken 1 hour), Times Square, Wall Street, Trinity Church, Freedom Tower, Chinatown and some other minor places, taking advantage of the only sunny day of our stay in NYC. And oh...

...I almost miss my train to Paris because I forget my phone in my car and have to get down to the garage and then... long story short: I make it...I arrive at Orly airport early only to find out that: a. we are overbooked and I got upgraded to premium class (yes!) b. the flight is delayed...I enjoy unparalleled comforts of bigger, more reclining seats and champagne in premium class, which, however, does not have its own bathroom, unlike the adjacent business cla...