Flew in from Montego Bay and arrived at JFK airport in the evening. My dad arranged for me to stay with some relatives whom I had never met. It was nice to met another side of my family.

My cousin picked me up in a SUB with satellite tracking device and drove me to their house. I met my dad´s sister for the first time in my life, her daughter and husband and two children, and another daughter. My auntie had just moved to this location and still had rooms packed with boxes yet unopened, so I spent the first evening moving and arranging boxes in the bedroom so I could arrange for a bed to sleep on.

I got up early and my relatives dropped me off by the subway with directions to the centre. As I was used to the London tube, it was quite easy following the New York subway.

My cousin said that New York is divided into boroughs but I got confused which borough was which. Which borough they all lived in as they lived in different places and which borough uptown was!

Anyway as I emerged from the 34 St Penn Station subway, excitement enveloped me as I saw the huge skyscrapers and frenzied mass of people, shops etc I felt I had to ring my friend who was based in New Jersey and had already been weekending to New York several times, so we could scream down the phone at each other! There was so much to see culture, attractions, history, architecture and so on I knew three days was definitely not enough! I decided to see as much as possible, which meant getting into town early the next couple of days.

I walked around all day in my heeled boots, cardigan, jacket and hat with a brolly, in the rain. I didn´t mind the rain, it wasn´t going to stop me for exploring my first time in New York. New Yorkers are friendly, as I crossed a street, a man coming in the opposite direction passed me and said loudly to me that my hair matches my boots!! I laughed and thanked him!!

Of course, I spent some time in the world´s largest shop, i.e. Macy´s and brought some stuff as I still needed winter clothes.

Very pleased with my purchases I then tried to get into the Empire State Building but was disappointed as the queue was four people wide and longer than a whole block itself, waiting time was four hours! Crazy, what a waste of time! So I continued walking around, taking in the sights and sounds. Onto Time Square and electric excitement then Rockefella Centre where some people were iceskating in the freezing cold!

Go through the Rockefella Centre and emerge at the other end where Argos has the world on his shoulders, I know how he feels, and opposite is a very nice Cathedral that I didn´t venture to go in.

Walk down Fifth Avenue, and when you see an enormous button and needle monument you know you´re in the Fashion District.

Took the Green Line No. 4 train to the end of the subway Bowling Green Station towards the World Trade Centre to contemplate September 11 atrocities and meet my cousin who worked across the road from the Twin Towers. She told me she had the day off when it happened!

My cousin took me to Harlem and explained that now Harlem is becoming so expensive, people can barely afford to buy property. The area is gentrified and trendy. She herself had scaled down from a house further away to a trendy Harlem apartment. I was totally surprised when she gave me a worn old photo of myself and my sister at about five or six years old. I had never seen it before but she confirmed that they had always been thinking of us over there in England! Oh dear, I thought, I wish I return the sentiment!

We got on the L train Harlem and changed to the red line and got of at Columbus Circle by Central Park. She laughed at me whilst I tried to look up information about Central Park in my little guide book. I´ve only three days, I explained, how would I know what to look for and where to go!

We got to Central Park but by now it was so dark and I could hardly see anything! We went back to Harlem and she showed me the famous Apollo Theatre and various monuments in the dark!

The next day, got up early again and out before my auntie could lecture me on running up and down all over the place, and before one of my various cousins could try to convince me how dangerous New York is and before the other cousin and her husband put the frighteners on me!

Got a bus to Canarsie Subway, also know as Rockaway which noone tells you about just to confuse you even more. It´s about an hour´s ride to 14th and change to the red line down towards Bowling Green. Walk towards World Trade Centre again and follow directions to Battery Park. Once there, again I saw queues and queues of people not only waiting to get on the ferry for Statute of Liberty, and Ellis Island but to buy tickets as well. I knew I should have got up earlier but it was only 9.30am!

It was all I could do to enjoy the Statute from the harbour and vow to return.

I certainly filled my three days walking around New York in the rain with my brolly, but I really enjoyed myself. Saturday morning got a flight to Las Vegas to meet my friends for New Year´s Eve!!