Learnings

I have learned several things in the two short days I have been in NYC.

1. Leather is not, in fact, waterproof. This came as a bit of a shock to me.
2. Everyone else wears cool wellies. Or "rainboots" as they call them, as it makes them sound less like a six year-old.
3. Macy's has a "fur vault" full of dead animal fur. As opposed to live animal fur. I suppose then it would be a pet shop.
4. The subway still makes absolutely no sense.
5. You can get a bagel and cream cheese and a cup of java mocha for $1.75 on Lexington.
6. If your ambition in life is to be a crack whore, you could do worse than starting at Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Today was Personal Shopper day at Macy's. Now, I am no stranger to the world of personal shopping (far too lazy to pick out my own outfits), but I'd never previously tried it Stateside. My shopper was called Talulah and had called me in the UK about a week ago to confirm our appointment.

Just after our scheduled time, someone shuffled into the "Macy's By Appointment" area. Talulah was about 307 years old. She said hello. I said hello. She didn't hear me. She was almost completely deaf.

"So what sort of thing are you looking for, Laura?" she shouted at me.

"Mostly work things - a few spring and summer bits and pieces."

"Work things in cerises?" she repeated to me, incredulously.

Unlike in London, where your shopper provides you with a cup of coffee and goes and does the hard work for you, here you have to troll round the shop with your assistant, who points at things and you have to tell her if you like them or not.

It was like shopping with my grandma.

Having said that, we got a few things I liked... and she came in bang on budget (after the slightly snide comment, "Doesn't the bank pay you any money?" I replied, "Do I like drinking honey? Why yes!" Two can play at that game, grandma.)

Weather report: not quite as dreadful as yesterday - moderate rain. New umbrella is "windproof". Yesterday was apparently the rainiest day since 1882, and the second rainiest since records began. Brilliant.