Our week in New York was a whirlwind. It is - in so many ways - the greatest city on Earth. This is in part because it's chocka block full of iconic sights and experiences: there's just so much to do! It saw us coming in late and keen to get out the door again every day. No other city has ever made us so excited to be out and about. There is something utterly and indescribably epic about NYC.

I could try to describe all the cool stuff we got up to in this week; but for the sake of being concise I've compiled a list of dot points.

*We were continually entertained by the diversity and multiculturalism present on the New York Subways. It is the best place in the world for people watching.
*We were also baffled by the voices of Subway conductors. From incoherent mutters to Jazz singers; it had it all.
*We dedicated a whole day to walking and running around Central Park. This was obviously Sjane's idea, and she was like an excitable puppy.
*We stood dumbfounded atop the Rockerfeller Center and gazed out over the Tri-State area as the sun set and the lights of Manhattan began to glitter.
*We strolled the streets of SOHO: where the biggest brands and fashion names in the world converge on a shopping suburb. Probably unsurprisingly we headed straight to Oakley to replace a pair of my dearly departed Jupiter Squared.
*We found a coffee shop celebrating their 23rd birthday by selling coffees for 23c a cup. We got 4. Each. (Ok we didn't get 4 each, we got 2 each, and then they decided to enforce some ridiculous "1 per person" rule... whatever! We would've got 4 each if they were cool).
*We got swept up in the excitement of Times Square and climbed the Red Stairs to get the view over the crowds of fellow tourists.
*We played art critic at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA). I couldn't believe I was seeing the works of Dali, Van Gogh, Picasso, Warhol, Kahlo, Pollock, Monet and Matisse all in the same place.
*We got tickets to Chicago on Broadway. Ironically I had joked about visiting a strip club earlier in the day. Chicago was somewhere between that and a "Whodunnit" murder mystery.
*Sjane (not "we" this time) researched potential lofts and apartments for sale in SOHO and Chelsea. A cool $40 million USD will buy you something bigger than a matchbox. I gave her that "you're being silly" teacher face. She then tried to justify a $3 mil shoebox as being quite a reasonable and attainable investment. More disapproving glares.
*We used a real-life coin laundry. Unfortunately this fancy-pants laundromat used pre-paid swipe cards so I couldn't use my excess change; however it was an oddly satisfying experience regardless.
*We ate Choc Chip Cookie Dough Pop Tarts (thank you Jarrod!).
*We had a good old time the day we ran the High Line.
*We warmed up thanks to a couple of hot chocolates at the Chelsea Markets.
*We scoffed the world's best value and tastiest lunch from Chinatown. Seriously: at Vanessa's Dumpling House we bought 12 dumplings, 9 pork buns and a massive sesame pancake for $8.50. Tell me that's not money well spent!?
*We stood in awe at the 9/11 Memorial: ground zero of the World Trade Center. A beautiful memorial.
*We jumped aboard the FREE Staten Island Ferry to sight the Statue of Liberty close up... we also came straight back as Staten Island seemed less fun than Manhattan.
*We failed to find a single open art gallery in the "Gallery District" of Chelsea. Whatever. The MOMA had better art anyway, you jerks.
*We chowed down on some of New York's best bagels thanks to Kari and Jarrod's Suitcase Of Dreams gift. Thanks again guys! They were delish, and I didn't get sick from this one :D
*We ate Milk Duds ("The most apologetic of the boxed candies" - Sheldon Cooper) from the Hershey's store.
*We stood disappointed outside the McGee's Pub (inspiration for the famous McLaren's Pub from How I Met Your Mother)... Ted and Barney were nowhere in sight.
*We were dumbfounded and inspired when we stumbled across Eataly on Madison Square Park. A foodie heaven if I ever saw one.
*I was warmed by the number of homelessness initiatives I saw in practice around the city. It makes such a difference: the ever-present homelessness issue that plagues the USA seems non-existent here.
*We strolled suburban Brooklyn and came across yet another epic view of Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge.
*We were farewelled by NYC with a beautiful sunset behind the Manhattan skyline as we made our way to JFK Airport.

It probably goes without saying, but we had an amazing time in New York. We will definitely be making our way back here in future.

I'll leave you with a few quotes from Sjane's time in NYC that made me stop and shake my head at the strange innuendo: "It's like I had cheesecake on my bagel: it's fantastic!". She followed this up a day later, with: "I'm not one for big ... stuff but s*** I love it."