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Tinno, JJ and Legsy are leaving today...for The Big Apple. JJ's particularly excited as she's never been to New York. The thought has occurred to Don L that if you're interested in seeing any of the artists performances at JazzFest (I know that Jerry Lee, the Who, Vintage Trouble, Widespread Panic and tons of others are all available) I should recommend you go on YouTube and search for "artist name" live at Jazzfest 2015 and you're bound to find clips - if you look really hard you may get the occasional glimpse of Don L front and centre taking pictures under his black Akubra Bogart!

We're at Louis Armstrong Airport at 10:35am looking to have breakfast - not one cafe/eatery will serve us anything from the brekky menu because it stops at 10:30am (Travel Tip: this is not an issue solely limited to New Orleans airport, but everywhere, and good luck getting a coffee that doesn't come in a cardboard cup!). All's not lost though, because JJ goes into meltdown when none other than 'Bunk' ambles past (unfortunately we aren't quick enough to press flesh). Who? Wendell Pierce of course! Surely you've seen the 2nd best TV series of all time "The Wire"? How about the 3rd best TV series of all time "Treme" where Wendell plays Antoine Batiste? JJ's star spotting has commenced! Suggestions as to the GREATEST TV SERIES OF ALL TIME can be submitted to Legsy, but if the answer isn't "Deadwood" then it's wrong!

The Wire's 'Bunk'

Treme's Antoine Batiste

We head in from La Guardia airport taking in the spectacular cardboard cutout skyline of Manhattan, it really is amazing. Our hotel is in the retro-cool East Village, although the St. Marks Hotel doesn't fit that description. Perhaps decades of corporate travel has made Don Legsy soft, but I feel like ripping the head off the desk clerk Frank (whom I later suspect is a decent bloke and as equally frustrated with his employer as I was). The half full aspects first - it was inexpensive for New York, it was in a fabulous location, the room was clean, and downstairs it had a neat sports bar (Travel Note: it seems that EVERY bistro, restaurant and cafe is now a 'sports bar, as there is always a bank of TVs showing sports programmes to the point of irritation).

Now the half empty! No elevator, which meant lugging suitcases (in my case a heavy one!) up three flights of stairs; CASH up front, no credit cards - outrageous! Free WiFi in the sports bar downstairs but not in the hotel meant paying a daily fee for each individual device! My debit card doesn't work in the in-house ATM and I'm ready to strangle someone! So we do what needs to be done - get JJ her first slice of New York pizza!!

We head out and stroll down to Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village and encounter a terrific street acrobat.

His final act is to drag four people out of the audience, including a 12yo Dutch kid, and jump over them (which he duly does - impressive stuff). But it's his banter that lifts the performance as he firstly opines that "last week I messed this up and turned black" (yep, he's African/American), and then tells the Dutch kids mother "don't worry momma, if I break him I'll help you make another one" - dunno if the kid's mum got it but the crowd did! Not sure you or I would get away with saying either in public!!

We pop into Uncle Ted's, Greenwich's premier Chinese restaurant, on the famous Bleeker Street for dinner. Whaddya mean it doesn't sound Chinese - this is New York!

Then it's up to the Bitter End nightclub (one of the few surviving clubs from the 60's) to see Oz Noy's Monday night residency.

He's a superb guitarist (check out his two 'Twisted Blues' albums) who normally inhabits the jazz/blues fusion world ("it's jazz, it just doesn't sound like it") with just bass'n'drums, but tonight he's added keyboards and vocals and plays a more mainstream set.

If the music itself is not as adventurous as normal, he is still in outstanding form, and playing bass for him is none other than the legendary Will Lee, renowned as the bass player in David Letterman's Late Show house band since 1982 (if you've watched the show then you'd have seen him). It's an excellent evening, but wait..."these little town blues AREN'T melting away"....

At the salubrious St Marks Hotel I find my electronic door key doesn't work! I'm locked out of my room because I haven't pre-paid for the night's accommodation (those who know me well will, by now, be picturing the scene and my ensuing "discussion"). There are two night clerks on duty and I duly pay them not for one but all three nights. Noticing that I haven't left to try my new key, the clerk inquires after my well being at which point I simply utter "receipt please". "We give you that when you leave" is the reply, and after some further "animated discussion", Don Legsy peacefully retires to his 3/4 size single bed with the receipt safely tucked in his wallet!

Looks more inviting at night! My room is on the 3rd floor above the lit window - and no lift!

Tomorrow we're gonna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep.....