Hello everyone. I know it has been a while since I last posted.

I moved out of the hostel yesterday. I could only stay there a maximum of 26 nights, and so I checked into the Latham Hotel on East 28th Street in Flat Iron. My feelings are mixed about the placed. My first impression of the place was that it was quite a step up from the hostel. The lobby looked very nice, and I had a staff member carry my luggage up to my room on the 7th floor. I have a room to myself with a queen-size bed, which is pretty nice, a TV with cable access, a bar fridge, and my own telephone. I also have my own wash basin so I can brush my teeth and shave without having to leave my room. So that all seemed pretty nice in contrast to the six bed dorm I was sleeping in and the grotty bathrooms at the youth hostel.

But the downside is that there is only one toilet and shower for the whole floor, which means if you get a shower in the morning, or get to go to the toilet, it's by pure chance. A lot of the channels on the TV don't have a good picture and sound staticky (don't know if that is a word or not), and I can't seem to make external phone calls, despite following the instructions provided. The only internet access there is wifi available in the lobby, and I don't have my laptop with me. So there are a few issues that I didn't have at the hostel.

But anyway, a lot of news on the food front. There is a restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue called "Flor de Mayo", which was so good I went two nights in a row. I have never seen such an eclectic menu. It had Spanish, Chinese, and Peruvian all on the same menu. I tried some shredded chicken from the Peruvian menu the first night, and the second night I had sweet and sour shrimp. The service was also excellent and the meal (relatively!) inexpensive.

On Tuesday night I went to the Corner Bistro on Jane Street, West Village. Rumo(u)r has it that they make the best burgers in New York City. Apparently when the word got out, it turned into yuppyville. I was lucky to beat the rush. The burger was indeed delicious. Something about the beef patty. I wonder what was in it...

But burgers and pizzas aside, there are plenty of healthy food alternatives here in New York. Organic food seems to be in fashion here. There are no shortage of cafes here that sell fruit salad, non-fat yoghurt, and even choose-your-own salads (NB a "cafe" can mean one of two things. It often refers to a type of cafeteria-style venue, and when asked if you want it "to stay" or "to go", and you ask to have it "to stay", the only difference is that they put your meal on a tray!)

There is a combined health food restaurant and vitamin supplement place in Greenwich Village called "Eva's" which sell fat free and sugar free muffins, along with other healthy food and meals. I've been there twice now, and there seem to be a lot of body builders coming in all the time, some with arms so big they almost need to step through the door sideways to get in. There was some guy having an argument with the person at the register. I don't know what it was about; something about them not having some supplement he always gets there. Must have been the steroids talking or something.

But against my better judgement I have also been to Starbucks several times, not so much for the coffee, but because I can just sit there, read and write, and not be disturbed. When I was at the hostel it was difficult to find a place where there wasn't a lot of noise.

For coffee, I still haven't found a better place than "Joe the art of Coffee". I was there only moments ago, and not only did I have a machiato, but a delicious chai latte. They display a "Joe coffee fact of the day" on the counter; apparently between 1998 and 2003, the number of coffee houses rose by 80% (I don't know if that was just New York or America wide) - roughly 17,000. Yes, they are still catching up to Australia in the coffee stakes, but they are trying...

Last night I went to the Nuyorican Poetry Cafe on the Lower East Side to see a poetry slam. They had some musicians accompanying a lot of the performers, and there were some very talented hip-hop artists and rappers. The last performers were a group called "Enemies of the State". I don't know if they are famous, but the name sounded familiar. I don't know if that counts as a celebrity sighting or not, so I'll lump that in the "maybe" category.

Anyway, I'm hoping to go and have dinner in Chinatown in a few hours.

Over and out.