2006 got off to a great start with my first foot being my parents. It was their first time visiting since I moved over. They were here for both Christmas and New Year, and do you know the three weeks, two days and 4 _ hours flew by! Whilst they were here I mastered the art of change within my downtown apartment…my living room became the dining room then a bedroom then back to the living room, then the dining room, then a bedroom……it actually got me thinking about a part time career as chief scene shifter on Broadway!!

The normal crazy festive buzz of 5th Avenue at the Rockefeller Center went quiet for a couple of days during Christmas week whilst the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) workers went on strike, creating somewhat of an unusual sight down 5th Avenue. Shopping was less stressful in the department stores as a result, not good for the stores’ turnover I’m sure, but good for the shoppers, particularly if one had left all ones shopping to the last minute!!

Month one of 2006 is nearing the end and life in Manhattan is almost back to normal, well as normal as it gets here. Already I have received several phone calls and emails from home giving me the details of the arrival times and the ‘when I am there I want to …’ lists. Looks like its going to be another busy year for the Glasgow-New York shuttle.

2005 must certainly be the fastest year on record. It only feels like a short while ago that I was glad the temperature had begun to drop after the long hot summer. In fact the last couple of weeks of the summer the city experienced days of 'feel like' temperatures of above 100deg. Even though it is my third summer, I doubt if my Scottish blood will ever acclimatise (or should that be acclimatize?) to such conditions! Next thing I know fall is almost coming to a close and the Season is upon us once again.

I love fall, be it New York or Glasgow, the change in the weather and the colours on the trees, Central Park is quite spectacular. During one of my many trips to Central Park I discovered The Boat House, just between E74th and E75th, I knew it was there, but I had never been. It is a great place to relax after a walk in the park; it has a lovely big open fire in the lounge, which looks out over the lake. If the mood takes you, there is a wee 'Touch of Venice' involving a trip round the lake in an authentic Venetian Gondola with your very own gondolier to serenade you. Apparently it is the 'hidden secret' of Central Park. However, I opted for a seat by the fire to watch the sun go down.

Fall is a good time to explore the city. Another favourite fall pastime is visiting the museums, one in particular being Museum of Modern Art on W53rd Street. MoMA returned from Queens last September, where it was temporarily located whilst the building on 53rd Street was extended and refurbished. The vast new space is fantastic and architecturally very impressive, well worth a visit should you be passing through. Although, if you are not good with heights the openness of six floors should be viewed with caution!

Like I said t'is the season....Thanksgiving has been and gone for another year, it is funny it is almost like the dress rehearsal for Christmas minus the presents, eating too much, turkey for days after...I am intrigued to know what they actually do for Christmas?! Anyway it is St Andrews Day today, which is not quite as celebrated as Thanksgiving......however, it is always a good excuse to visit the only Scottish bar in the city, St Andrews Bar, funnily enough, on W44th Street! You will find the bar staff have all been imported from the motherland all kitted out in their kilts.

The Christmas Tree lights at the Rockefeller Center go on today and the true Christmas experience in New York begins. Fifth Avenue is a glow with the Christmas lights and window displays; there is no place in the world quite like New York at Christmas time.

Happy Holiday

WOW! Where has the time gone? March 2005 already.

The city has been quite eventful since those long balmy nights in August. I don't actually know where the time has gone....can't believe it is nearly spring!

Election fever gripped the city in early September and The Republicans invaded for a week during their National Convention. New York was awash with god loving cowboys patriotically dressed from head to toe, trying desperately to change the blue state to a red one! The likelihood of that happening is as likely as turning a Glaswegian football fan from blue to green.

I spent election night in my local Irish bar convinced that President Dubya would get thrown out and the next four years would be different, alas the most powerful nation in the world felt it appropriate to re-elect Dubya. Frightening!

However it hasn't discouraged me enough to return to the motherland, yet.

I successfully completed my walk for Breast Cancer in October, such a fantastic way to see the city. Thank you to all who supported me for this great cause, I raised over $5000.00.

NYC has been trying to shake off the winter, however the snow keeps coming back. My sister was in town last weekend and she arrived just as the snow was starting. We went to see, "The Gates", an exhibition of 7,500 sixteen feet tall vinyl gates spread over 23 miles of Central Park. New York artists Christo and Jean-Claude designed them. The exhibition got mixed reviews, but I liked it. The day we went the sun was shining brightly and the saffron gates against the white snow was very dramatic.

We tried going to the Mandarin Hotel bar at Columbus Circle Shopping Mall to get a birds eye view of the park, but unfortunately we weren't the only ones with that idea. The wait was over an hour. An hour for a cocktail? I don't think so. We headed for the peace and quiet of the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel, an old favourite of Dorothy Parker and one I would recommend to anyone on a Sunday afternoon.