Revisiting New York means you can bypass all the usual tourist traps, such as the Empire State, Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty and spend the time soaking up the city’s culture. Staying at the Sheraton on Canal Street in Soho meant being within walking distance of most things and walking is a must in New York. The only disappointing experience was not being able to see the Garden of Remembrance at Ground Zero – you have to pre-book your place online, which didn’t fit in with our spontaneous trip at all and so was bypassed. Foodie highlights included Café Habana’s famous corn on the cob and a heavenly vegan lunch at Candle Café. No trip to New York is complete without some shopping and therefore, Macy’s, Century 21 and Soho were all hit. TKTS provided discounted tickets to Jersey Boys, which comes highly recommended and the atmosphere at Madison Square Gardens which hosted Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks was electric despite the poor performance by the home team. Although most of Manhattan looks like nothing happened a few months back, the damage from Hurricane Sandy was still to be seen in downtown Manhattan with Pier 17 a shadow of its former self and iconic shops such as Abercrombie and Fitch on Water Street still closed.