I can't believe I'm doing this ....

I came to New York full of ambitions to be a street photographer for a week and do something different, but here I am blipping the Statue of Liberty.

Thing is I just love the shot. This icon is something we all know but when you see it and photograph it, suddenly it's personal: every fold of the robe, the oddly shifting gaze, the slight awkwardness of the replacement torch, the androgynous gender ... and the clouds, the perfect backdrop.

To hell with the billion other shots: this is my liberty.

The blip that wasn't is Grand Central Station if you are interested, which we only went to because TSM wanted gadgets for her iPad.

As for the rest of the day: hotel staff told us about a non-touristy diner a couple of blocks away where we are staying in Hell's Kitchen so we went there for a non-hotel breakfast. I think we were the only people in the place not wearing hard hats or NYPD uniforms. I think they were a bit suspicious at first but we were having such a good time piling up the pancakes and maple syrup and eggs and toast and refill coffee and laughing out loud that they warmed to us, and the cops even posed by their car for TSM to take a picture.

Ellis Island was very moving although a bit repetitive. However, they did stage a mock tribunal of an immigrant to determine right to stay in the US and yours truly couldn't help but volunteer to participate in the little bit of theatre, which was huge fun and involved some hilarious ad-libbing. Thespian at heart, me.

The walk around Battery to the financial district was lovely in the early evening sun but the sheer weight of commuters has to be seen to be believed.

After Grand Central station we went back to Times Square for a nice but very bad value Italian meal, then The Dizzle and I went to see The Dark Night Rises (AKA people with issues and no anger management in a thinly disguised New York) and got home half an hour after midnight after a slightly edgy walk across the shadowy streets between 10th and 11th Avenue.

So another great day... despite the cliche ...