Anyway, I've arrived now. The flight in was spectacular. Contrails drifting by past a deep red sunset, lighter and darker blue cloudbanks, then the New York lights. London looks like a big ugly sodium monster from the air: it literally looks evil. LA looks flashy but square – there are swimming pools everywhere. New York looks fragile like fairyland. The streetlights throw soft glowing circles. Then you drop down over the water and down towards it and bam, there comes the Christmas-tree coloured runway. I should buy one of the I HEART NY T-shirts because I'm smitten already.