Paris and then... New York

Our trip continues and we arrive in N.Y. from Paris in the early afternoon; it's the fourth time we've been to the USA. We stay at the Hotel Paramount in Times Square; opposite is the TKTS kiosk with discounted theatre tickets, designed by the famous architect Philippe Starck - a fabulous lobby with chairs and armchairs carved from wood and very distinctive, the rooms small, with "masterpiece" beds, chequered floors; excellent service both in the room and at the concierge, welcoming and helpful staff. We begin our visit of the City: Times Square, the most...most...most... chaotic and beautiful square in the world; you find everything there: the most impressive adverts that enchant you, TV spots and films are shot everywhere, the most unusual people pass through, in short you see everything at any hour of the day or night: it never stops. The Gallagher's restaurant at 228 W.

52nd Street is very interesting, where you enjoy the best steak, with a very distinctive window display......, another restaurant where you can eat every possible cut of meat is Brazil Grill at 787 Eighth Avenue (corner of 48th Street). Worth visiting all the Museums: the Metropolitan - MoMA - Guggenheim - the Onassis Cultural Centre Foundation - Olympic Tower, 645 Fifth Avenue is also very interesting, where you can admire a splendid collection of ancient finds from the island of Crete. A one-day trip to Boston is very interesting, by minibus with a multilingual guide, at an interesting price. An interesting little outing is the helicopter flight over N.Y.; I'd recommend Liberty Helicopters Inc. - West 30th St. & 12th Ave, N.Y. - booking is required to avoid long waits or finding no seats, tel.

212-967-6464 - the helicopters are very good and so are the pilots, I'd suggest taking the flight called Big Apple, it costs a bit more but is worth it. Interesting is the visit to a local perfumery, Caswell-Massey, 518 Lexington Ave - between 48th & 49th, N.Y., where you'll find the famous soaps used at the White House; they've been suppliers for 200 years.