Central Park

Our first day in New York, and it really is as spectacular as its reputation leads us all to believe. After a pastrami on rye sandwich (of course) our first stop had to be Central Park. And it is huge. We must have spent several hours there and still not seen everything - the Pond, the Bethesda fountain, we sat and watched the last two sets of a softball game... and there really was so much more to see. It's huge, and beautiful.

Although New York doesn't have the reputation for it at all, I in fact have never experienced a friendlier city. Every time we looked at a map, underground or overground, someone was always coming up to us and offering their help and advice. That evening, our food stop was a place called JG Melon's; some of the best burgers I have ever tasted, and one of the friendliest managers I have ever met. Constantly eager to talk to us and recommend us places to go, he even ended up giving us free Bloody Mary's and giving us his number. Bobbie: the legend.