In late march 2008 I travelled from the Texan border with Mexico to New York City entirely overland, on Greyhound bus. This was a twoday journey that was both intersting and frustrating.

The biggest problem was that purchasing a ticket from greyhound does not guarentee you a seat on the bus. You have purchased a ticket for the route.

I was at the end of a year's travelling in Latin America. When buying tickets in Latin America you ticket is for that bus. In the states, however, there will be far more people queuing for a bus than there are seats. A lots of waiting ensues. Cheekily Greyhound say that for an extra $10 you can reseve a seat. Never mind that you have just paid $97.

Riding Greyhound introduces one to the poorer side of North American life. Only those who cannot afford to fly travel greyound, thus you meet some interesting characters.

New York is a city lover's city: tall sky scrapers, bustling city streets and no end of shopping. Having been before i did not spend much time visiting the tourist hotspots, but from my previous trip i can highly reommend the Empire State Building. The views are incredible.

Not worth seeing though is the guggenheim museum: though the layout is intersting in its own right it is not condusive to viewing art.

I stayed with my sister near Linden Blv (famed by many hi hop records, notable by A Tribe Called Quest) in Brooklyn. In many ways the outer neighbourhoods are more interesting then Manhatten: they reveal a truer side of American Life.