New York

April was approaching, so I decided to do some Web research before Kate and I set off on our holiday to New York. After scanning a few results on Google, I came across a free public service named Big Apple Greeters. They are a "not-for-profit organization whose mission is to enhance New York City's worldwide image and to enrich the New York experience". Coincidentally, a few days after finding this site it was publicised on a TV travel program and with this added recommendation, I completed their online request form.
BAG allow you to create your own itinerary based on your interests or just be directed by whatever your 'greeter' feels they want to show you. Not really having any plans (other than seeing the major landmarks), I decided to opt for the latter, and listed our preferred day as the one after we were due to arrive. After about a week and a couple of confirmation emails, a very transatlantic message was left on my mobile answering service, giving details of our greeter; Hal.
The trip from the airport confirmed the mental image built up by watching years of American TV. Traffic is much more 'organic' in New York and seems to find its own way or organising itself successfully - well most of the time, anyway. We checked into the hotel, and I gave Hal a quick ring to confirm that we'd arrived safely and we'd be ready to roll the next day.

Bright and early the next day, Hal was waiting for us in the reception, ready with our free travel passes and a quick outline of where he was taking us: Brooklyn Heights and Lower Manhattan. The Subway in New York is a lot like the Tube, but even if you're a seasoned London traveller, it's still nice to have someone tell you where to get on and off for your first trip and explain how the ticketing systems work.
Perhaps appropriately, Hal is a retired civil servant. His knowledge of New York after a lifetime of residency is impressive and it's nice to get the gossip on the locale, such as what's eventually happening to Ground Zero. We went to places that we probably wouldn't have got to on our own, from the cobbled, ex-dock streets of Dumbo to the upmarket residential area of Brooklyn Heights. We were taken to a small park under the Brooklyn Bridge where the locals sunbathed, alongside a fashion shoot against the backdrop of the New York skyline.
The rest of our week in New York was a whirl of sights and sounds, but our first full day spend with our Big Apple Greeter was the best introduction that we could have had. Needless to say, if you're going to New York anytime in the future, make sure that you get yourself properly 'greeted'!