By moving to New York I was ending my enslavement to the commuter routine and gaining the alleged privilege of a Gotham address. But I was also accepting a standard of living that most sane people might consider seriously wanting.. We are snorkelling in the crystal clear, warm waters of the lagoon of Xel-Ha on the Caribbean side of Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. An extraordinary variety of tropical fish are on view, astonishing my wife and me as much as my two boys, aged seven and nine. The lagoon is ringed on three sides by mangroves, and Xel-Ha is home to more than 100 species of birds, 350 species of plants and 99 marine creatures. Once pristine - like much of the Yucatan peninsula up to the creation of Cancun in the 1970s - Xel-Ha's conversion into a private eco-park has been well managed, with plenty of restaurants and a seemingly endless array of activities. Bikes can be hired for a tour of the park, or you can while away the hours in a hammock overlooking the sea.
The price of entry includes almost everything the park has to offer: jumping from the "cliff of courage" into the lagoon, swimming in Mayan caves, swinging on ropes through canyons, or just bobbing along in a large rubber ring. All around is the rainforest, with geckos scampering up trees and exotic birds above. And below, there are the fish - hundreds of them, each one more brightly coloured than its predecessor The boys were ecstatic.. Where do I start? Fifth Avenue is the most celebrated shopping street in the world, and as good a starting point as any.
This is where you will find many of America's most famous retail names such as Tiffany, renowned for its jewellery and glasswear, and the distinctive blue boxes and carrier bags in which they are packaged, and Brooks Brothers for classic clothing. Alongside the internationally known designer names are high-street brands, too, like Gap.. Where do we start? The history of New York City is writ large in the development of its music. Israel Zangwill first put forward the idea of the US as "the melting pot" in his 1908 Broadway play of the same name, and nearly a century later it applies to music in New York Rock, jazz, blues, folk, hip-hop, art-rock, US punk... if it wore shades and made a noise, it probably did it here first.
