DENIED... :(

Got there, brimming with excitement, stood across the road braced against a tree, drooling at the prospect of the "Zagat survey 'Best Pizza on the Planet'"(tm) (perhaps raising the possibility that there are other interplanetary pizza options to consider) and shot the exterior (marvelling at how empty the place looked, but reasoning that on a Monday perhaps not so many people eat out in New York) -

- packed up the camera and skipped across the road pushing the door with a little force, a moment of confusion when it wouldn't budge, I pushed a little harder...and then...I spotted the sign..."Closed for Oven Cleaning, re-opens 02/14"...

Dazed, I wandered the darkened streets without direction, in confusion, finally collapsing, a beer in quivering hands in the Spring Bar, wiping the tears of dissapointment from my unbelieving eyes...why? Why did they have to clean the ovens now??

My mobile phone ringing slapped me back to reality, moments later the very slightly unreal meeting up with L&J took place, we found an English bar (in Little Italy?) just down the road where I had some jolly enjoyable hot wings (not worth a picture though), then I took them into a traditional local supermarket ("ooo, look, ice on the fruit and veg!" kind of experience), then I walked them down to Canal Street so they could hop on the subway back to the upper east side (ready for bed at 9pm, fools!)...and I came back to the hotel and watched "The Seventh Seal" which has to be the definition of black comedy (well, with the occasionaly auto-flagilating moments of stark reality)...Excellent film though, why had I never watched that before?

Sleep last night was really sporadic, woke with real definition at 1am (raising a fist to heaven), called room service for a night cap to get me back to sleep...thank God it worked...