Torrential

Well, we've been in New York for three days so far and it has pissed with rain pretty much consistently. The storm is responsible for power outages, felled trees, damage to buildings and beach erosion, on top of which the satellite TV in our hotel is completely out, meaning that our tiny hotel room offers even less opportunity for entertainment than it did previously. However, given the astonishingly unpleasant sensation of wandering around with squelching shoes and sodden jeans, it's still the best of the options available to us, so the Boy Wonder and I have procured some cider, snacks and an internet dongle (they don't call them that here by the way - cue some strange looks in the Verizon store) and spent last night listening to I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue on the computer in an admirable display of British stoicism. The Verizon store was an experience in itself - there's always something a little unnerving about shopping in a strange place as every country has its own peculiarities when it comes to the simple things, but I have never actually failed to shop before until we went there. Part of the confusion arose because despite giving all the outward appearances of working there, the guy by the door who nodded at us when we went in subsequently watched us wandering around looking at the displays and trying hopefully to catch the eye of a member of staff who could help us, without thinking to mention once that you have to 'check in' on a computer and put your name down in a queue to be served. However, once we had mastered that, the rest of the process was relatively simple and we returned to our room sodden and disenchanted with the Big Apple, but at least with an internet connection which has gone some way to relieving the boredom of the constant downpours and allowed us to Skype our parents and read the New York Times's predictions for when the weather might break. We did have an hour of reasonable weather earlier today and used it to enjoy the luxury of going outside and breathing air which wasn't fresh from the alley between our hotel room and the next building, which was nice while it lasted, a period just long enough for us to get ensconced in a diner from where we watched the renewed downpour while we ate three eggs each. This seems to be standard - everywhere we've been that serves eggs so far has offered three eggs or more. I asked for two eggs today and was told that I could have two, but would be charged the same as for three, so I bit the bullet and went along with it whilst secretly wondering whether I might single-handedly have discovered the root of the USA's obesity epidemic. When we last had TV, they told us the weather should be fine again by Tuesday, so here's hoping our shoes will have dried sufficiently by then to go out and make the most of it - there's a Grateful Dead exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History, so no prizes for guessing where we'll be once the sun comes out.

Start spreading the news

Well, we arrived in New York last night but fortunately spent longer in the queue for immigration than we did actually being grilled - they were very nice (although the signs around the place suggest that this is a concerted effort) and even told us that the only reason we were pulled aside and subject to extra questioning was because we wanted to stay for nine months and most people only stay for six. They asked a few questions about our plans for the trip during which the Boy Wonder said the word 'ancestors' several times and then made free with the noisy stamp and we were on our way. So, a short-ish cab ride into Manhattan and a miniature trek up three flights of stairs and we were safely installed in our teeny weeny hotel room with it's much larger than average bathroom - the Boy Wonder can touch both walls with outstretched arms, but we're well situated, en suite and seem to have a neighbour across the alley who alternates between singing and having hysterical laughter attacks which is all good. Our first, slightly spaced out exploration of the surrounding area revealed a pizza place which served not only pizza topped with pasta, but also one with lasagne on it, which made us think of the Gift - if anyone appreciates dangerous levels of carbohydrate within a meal, it's him, so we'll have to encourage him to experiment back home. We moved on to a complicated bar which had around 8 different basketball games on screens around the walls, loud and strangely mismatched music and a host of loud New Yorkers making merry - it was a treat to be IDed as we went in, although the novelty of that might wear off given time. Plenty of sleep later, an unreasonably large breakfast and the news of an incoming storm sweeping the west coast until sometime next week and we're all hooked up with internet, some free papers and a vague plan for the next few days including tourist spots and a southern brunch at BB King's club. All in all, a pretty successful trip so far...