New York New York

On the flight from San Francisco to JFK I sit next to a woman who munches her way through plastic box after plastic box of what looks, and smells, like seaweed. So I concentrate on the movies (Argo – astoundingly good; Hyde Park on Hudson, about FDR's extra marital dalliances) and the views out of the window, from the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes. 
My cousin Mary's husband John is meeting me but he's at terminal one and we've now landed at three. However, thanks to a very kind lady called Nancy, who lends me her phone, I'm able to call and re-direct him. 

Mary and John live in a large rambling house in Glen Head, on the north shore of Long Island. They're babysitting their two grandchildren today, Ronan, three, and Aubrey, one.



We take a walk along to the local bakery/cafe with the kids, where their mum, Michaela, arrives to pick them up.

Then we visit my cousin Vicky's new apartment (I have two cousins in the neighbourhood). As it's US Mother's Day we have a big dinner with Mary and John's three sons on BBQ duty. There's some tree-felling action today, too. Mary and John lost a lot of trees from their grounds during Hurricane Sandy and there's still much clearing to be done. This is John and son Patrick working on one of the stumps.

I enjoy some much-needed downtime after my Yosemite escapades. Mary works as a teaching assistant and is out most of the day, so it's just me and their dog, Molly. In the evening, as we're on the North Shore, where F Scott Fitzgerald set The Great Gatsby, we have to go and see the movie. I know nothing about the film but all the way through I'm saying to myself, this is just like a Baz Luhrmann movie. Lo and behold.... 

Manhattan transfer

It's quite an easy journey into the city from Glen Head, on the Long Island Rail Road, so whenever I'm visiting Mary I try to have a day in the city. Today looks good, it's chilly but sunny, my favourite weather for sightseeing.

From Penn Station I make straight for the High Line, an elevated train route, no longer in use, that has been converted into a linear park. This ticks all the urban boxes for me – encouraging nature to flourish, creating a platform for exercise, education and art, and revealing new perspectives on neighbourhoods such as the Meatpacking district. It's like a green vein pumping new life into the Midtown. 





Here's another surprise perspective, over one of the city's expressways. This High Line breakout is set out like a theatre, only it's the taxis and traffic that are putting on the show.

There's an art show along the route called Busted, the central theme of which is what the world sees and what is really going on, perfectly illustrated by this sculpture of an Iraq warmongering Colin Powell.
I wander on to lively Washington Square and its handsome brownstones, where students are hanging out, old guys are chewing the fat and, in one corner, a movie is being filmed.

Next, in pursuit of more public art, I make my way to Madison Square where there's an installation by an artist called Orly Genger. A series of undulating rope walls painted in primary colours, the piece, entitled Blue Red Yellow, dazzles and delights in equal measure. 

Following my colour fix I take the subway up to Central Park and the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, where Pakistan-born artist Imran Qureshi has painted the floor of the rooftop gallery with blood-red petals and flower shapes. I walk around on top of the art – this is encouraged – with a minty mocktail.


Such a refreshingly cool way to end a day in the city.