And so it begins.

When you visit New York for the first time ever, you have to go to Central Park.

Even if it’s dark, and grey, and your boyfriend keeps saying ‘oh but you need to see this is the summer time.’

You’ll see it in the dark and the grey, and not even be bothered, because anyway New York will be around for some time, and there’s family there now, and so you’ll come back soon and see it again when the sun is shining.

And for now, sure, it’s grey.

But it’s still the Central Park.

When you visit New York for the first time ever, you have eat a bagel, with Lox please.

The bagel is 16 dollars, which seems pretty steep for a bagel, even one with fancy fish, even one in New York City.

And your boyfriend keeps saying ‘oh wow it’s gotten so expensive’. But has to admit that the bagel is pretty good.

(and also has to admit that there are joys in being in New York at a time in your life when money isn’t as tight as it used to be).

And if the bagel doesn’t fill you up, there are always other options….

The sign says ‘pie for 8 dollars’, so now you’ll have that song about the moon hitting your eye suck in your head for the rest of the day.

And your boyfriend will say ‘you have to dab the oil, and then fold it and eat it. That’s the proper way to do it’.

So you try that.

To be honest, the pizza is not the best, but you can’t deny that there’s something to be said about visiting New York for the first time ever, and buying pizza, by the slice no less, for 99 cents.

When you visit New York for the first time ever, you have to walk through Times Square.

It’s raining, so it’s not that busy, but the dullness of the sky seems to amplify the brightness of the lights, and there’s steam coming up from the subway and you can’t help feeling like you’re stuck in that episode of Black Mirror where you can’t turn off the TV.

It’s friggin’ New York!