It's spring, and all the flowering trees are in bloom, which makes this the perfect opportunity to go to the Brooklyn botanical gardens (FREE on Tuesday) to see the biggest collection of cherry blossom plants outside of Japan. They were a gift from the Japanese government and are in bloom for a few short weeks a year. It's well out into Brooklyn - prospect park to be exact, I thought I might visit the museum too but it's closed on a Tuesday.... I've got a visit...

I had a very lazy morning at the apartment reading a great book, Wild by Cheryl Strayed about her experience of the pacific coastal trail. I don't leave until after midday, but the idea of a movie brings me back to the flatiron district where I passed a nice looking cinema. Unfortunately once I get there, there's nothing on that I want to see, or I've seen it all. It's lunch time and I'm hungry, and the fixed price menu at ABC kitchen entices me in, as does th...

I start my Sunday with a local brunch at the diner across from the train station. Most of the entertainment came from watching the Mexican guys man the grill plate, turning out huge pancakes and really decent omlettes - I opted for the latter and couldn't get through it - interrupting occasionally to cheer or moan depending on where their bets lay on the game they were following on the radio. Sadly the cappuchino that came with my breakfast was undrinkable. T...

This morning I ate the Chinese pastries I bought from Chinatown as a yum cha style breakfast - egg tart and sesame ball with red bean paste. But I am leaving china behind today and moving on to Italy! Sorry vikki but this is going to be an all food day thanks to the riches that await in the gramercy park / flatiron district. The subway emerges one block away from one of my favourite parks - Madison square park. I like this park because its small and intimate, ...

A wet, gray, cold day that the weatherman says will only get worse. I have booked a Free tours by Foot walking food tour of Chinatown. Hoping its going to be more indoor eating than walking at the moment! I arrive early at the tour meeting point, and as its on the corner of mulberry street I head down to little Italy for a cappuchino and tiramisu, and get out of the rain for half an hour. Unfortunately it was a bad coffee and overpriced, little Italy has become ...