Last month, I went to New York city for an interview with On the Case with Paula Zahn and I had a blast.  The first good thing was flying into Laguardia, definitely the best airport for going to Manhattan, in my opinion.

The next moment for appreciation was my room in the Sheraton Tribeca.  Most rooms I’ve had when going to the city for an interview gave a view of the side of a building or worse.  This time, the photo above was shot from my room.  The Empire State building on the horizon and a bustling metropolis at my feet.

I spent that afternoon walking around Tribeca and Soho, pausing in little parks to people watch and absorbing the energy of a vital city.  I’m essentially a small city dweller at heart but, still, it thrills me to visit.

The concierge at the hotel was absolutely wonderful.  He gave me a lesson in how to ride the subway and injected me with the courage of trying to use it for the first time.  I bought a metro card that first afternoon and was ready for the next morning’s adventure.

The concierge gave careful directions that were easy to follow and if I ever got confused, an experienced New Yorker was there to offer advice.  I simply do not understand the bad reputation the residents of this city have gotten over the years.  I have always found them to be friendly and helpful on every visit there.

I made it to my destination, the Union Square stop where I went to visit my agent (aka Warrior Angel) Jane Dystel.  We chatted over coffee and then the next unexpected wonder awaited.  Union Square has the largest green market in the city for two days each week and that day was one of them.

The most dazzling display I saw was the mountain of radishes–of course, I love those the tasty bright red globes so amazement was not an objective observation.  Everywhere I looked, there were flowers, vegetables, fruit and other luscious temptations from coffee to wine.

By the time I took my return subway trip, I was feeling like an underground pro–totally confident I would get to where I wanted to go.  Strolling back from the subway to the hotel, I stopped in one of those ubiquitous, narrow, long shops and picked up a fun,  multi-colored bag that’s summoned up a lot of comment back her in the hinterlands.

The producers for On the Case with Paula Zahn took me to lunch at the Cupping Room in SoHo and then we headed to the studio for the interview.  A little more than an hour later, interview complete, I went down the elevator, into a car and straight to JFK for my return trip to Texas.

Just 26 hours in Manhattan but a memorable nonetheless.  Can’t wait to make the pilgrimage again.