TALES OF NEW YORK

And so to another jam-packed day of NYC joy...

Meeting a friend for a catch up at Soho House was first on the agenda. What was initially intended to be a quick latte turned into a serious steam room session, pampering ourselves with all the latest Cowshed offerings and wrapping up in fluffy white towels. (I'd managed to contract food poisoning the night before so this was particularly therapeutic when I was feeling sorry for myself.)

Cat Deeley sauntered through looking super blonde and tanned with husband Patrick Kielty and there was a pretty dismal fail from my pal who jestered towards a didnt-look-like-him-at-all James Franco look-a-like. But apparently he does hang out there from time to time so she's forgiven. New Yorkers and press don't seem to stalk celebrities in the bull-dozing manner of the British paparazzi. (Another plus point to my fast-becoming-favourite-city.)

Cleansed and zenned, we headed for a quick pitstop at Gansevoort Market – a warehouse in the Meatpacking District full of stands boasting mouth-watering food...

Then it was onto the High Line, which through speaking to friends was quite a strange concoction of images in my mind. A disused railway track? A park in the sky? Both true but hard to picture. It wasn't as high as I'd imagined, nor as green. More the railway track vibe – a very long, concrete jungle snaking through Meatpacking and Chelsea, with quirky industrial sites along the way. We had a beaut day for it – skiing-esque, cold but sunny.

Then we hopped in a yellow taxi (the novelty never wore off) up to Midtown and 67 floors up the Rockefeller to admire the city by night. A good tip that had been passed on was don't go up the Empire State as it's one of the main sights you want in your view. Good tip.

The other main sight is the new World Trade Centre, which I was lucky enough to visit on my first morning in New York. Condé Nast was one of the first companies to move in a couple of months ago. My visit rather comically kicked off with a near collision with Anna Wintour before getting in the lift and managing to miss my stop by ten floors. Anyone visiting NYC be warned, the lifts do not work the same way in high-rise buildings - get someone to talk you through it to avoid a super unsmooth moment like mine. Luckily a kind person sent me back on my way and I enjoyed visiting offices from Vogue and Teen Vogue, Vanity Fair and Allure to Condé Nast Traveler (just the one 'L' in the US).

The WTC, incidently, stands in very good company...