Okay, it’s more than a month since we got back from our US holiday and I still haven’t sorted through all the photos (partly because we’ve only had one free weekend, but it’s still remiss of me) so I’m just going to have to try to summarise our week there before I forget it all completely. It was an amazing trip, with far more activities on our to do list than we had time for, inevitably. It’s New York.

Highlights include the Hell’s Kitchen flea market, which doesn’t seem like much at first glance, but on closer inspection is a true treasure trove. We got chatting to one stall owner about old cameras and he started showing us more and more cameras and photographs that he had hidden away in boxes, including multiple Box Brownies and silver gelatin prints. We also checked out the legendary B&H, which mostly sells digital camera stuff these days but does still stock an impressive selection of film and refurbed film cameras.

We spent a lot of time walking, as we always do on holiday. Manhattan is great for walking. Sadly we didn’t make it beyond the island on this trip, despite best intentions. The weather wasn’t ideal, but the rain did allow Tim to take this excellent atmospheric photo. And we managed to choose a good day to walk the High Line, which I had been looking forward to and completely lived up to expectations. It’s a disused elevated railway that’s been turned into a public park, planted to appear like it’s overgrown with wild flowers between the walkways and benches, but of course  it’s meticulously designed.

New York is one of those places I could instantly see myself living – walking my (as-yet-fictional) dog in Central Park; becoming familiar with all the galleries, museums and bookshops; finding the best spot for coffee in each neighbourhood. I know it’s a common holiday daydream, but it’s the strongest I’ve ever felt it. If only we had friends anywhere nearby.