New York, New York... so good they named it twice!
I enjoy coming to America on business. For a start, for the farmer’s son, ex-rock musician and writer, turned travel entrepreneur, it feels terribly grown up (and self-delusionally impressive) to be swanning around Manhattan’s midtown, going to meetings and the like. But also I do just like Americans. I know, the sugary OTT greetings (hey, how are you... have a nice day) and general bonhomie can be a little tiresome, but I think grumpy Brits (in which category I would often place myself) can learn a lot from the extreme enthusiasm that resonates from almost everyone here.
And I like New York... by which I mean Manhattan. As far as cities go I can’t think of a more beautiful modern creation and I constantly find myself gapping in ore at the majestic skyscrapers that rise like shards of glass from the sidewalks to the sky. Yesterday it was grey and in the evening it snowed, but today the sky is clear with a watery winter sun steeling down the avenues. I find it fun just walking up and down the famous streets, watching the city rush manically by. All squeezed together it seems to carry more urgency, more energy, than London. Not sure I’d want to live here, but for a visit I find it very engaging.
So who have I been seeing? Yesterday I had four back to back meetings with various components of Jetsetters, a US travel club catering to young and affluent members for whom we operate a number of trips. This morning I met with the New York Times to discuss a number of story ideas including African safaris, Afghanistan and Burma... it seems the excitement about this ‘hot’ destination has also reached this side of the pond. And this afternoon I have two meetings with Travel & Leisure Magazine, for whom I am their India specialist... or A-List Agent, as they like to call us.
But it’s not all work. This evening I’m meeting up with a very old friend, Kip Frace, who I first met back in January 1990 when I had a very strange few months as a ski instructor in a tiny resort near Gettysburg, Virginia. He was a very talented artist and when the season finished we shared a flat for a while in Philadelphia. After I left to go travelling in Central America, Kip’s life went off the rails somewhat as he got caught up in drugs and alcohol and we lost contact for nearly twenty years. But a couple of years back, on my first such business trip to the States, I tracked him down through his art – he’s now very successful, with is New York themed oils going for over $10,000 a pop – and we got reacquainted. He is now a very happy married man and proud father of one, with another due next week. He also lives in one of the coolest flats I know, overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.
And then tomorrow I’ll have another couple of meetings (Departures and a US PR agency) before taking the ‘red eye’ home tomorrow night. It’s hard to quantify exactly how much work comes out of these trips – we all know the cliché, only 7% of Americans have passports! But the numbers are growing, particularly to places like India and so far the ones we have had to deal with have been intelligent, interested and charming. And I hope we get a few more.
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