Dispatches from NYC: My first day in New York

...and how difficult is it to get a phone? Quite frankly, the phones available to consumers over here are shocking compared with the ones I was seeing back in England. Each network appears to have a maximum of two high-end phones, which are extortionately priced with things like needing to spend $30 extra a month just to have internet access (and TV and email as the LG VU has direct feeds from TV channels), and you can't have internet access any other way. Very eye-opening coming from England!

On a separate note, after spending part of the afternoon ranting about how being the leader of the free world doesn't translate into having the best stuff or being treated the best by companies, I went for some very good pizza on the corner of 33rd and I think 8th, and then made a great discovery. I ended up going to a beauty expo, where I was one of about 10 guys and there were hundreds of women. What's so great about that? Well, it's a $10 entry fee if you don't want a goody-bag, and then you can get lots of samples of stuff (there was stuff that a man could use there too like shampoo and this strange drink that if you drink it for 3 weeks supposedly tightens your skin), you get to see how some women turn into complete animals when things are free (this one lady in particular was like a bulldozer pushing everyone out of her way), it's full of pretty ladies and best of all... open bar! For $10 you can drink as much as you like from what was on offer (this time it was mojitos, Budweiser and some strange green spirit I've never heard of). I was quite apprehensive when I was in the line outside, but with a few drinks in me I was content!