Holly Golightly, Strawberry Fields and the 4th of July

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When I first read Truman Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's aged about 15, I vowed to take the title at its word and do exactly that one day. A short walk from our hotel, grabbing take-out breakfast on our way to the flagship store at Fifth and 57th, I finally realised my dream. The coffee and warm panini went down a treat on this overcast Independence Day morning.

Next stop was the Pulitzer fountain which stands in the Grand Army Plaza opposite Central Park and was the inspiration for the fountain featured in the opening titles of Friends. Although nobody was willing to jump in the fountain and dance around to The Rembrandts, it was a pleasant rest stop before entering the park.

We spent a few hours wandering aimlessly along the park pathways, enjoying the street entertainers - top marks went to a couple of guys who pulled in the largest crowd. One played violin, the other drummed on plastic buckets to Taylor Swift and Maroon Five. Squirrel spotting was Bruce's activity of choice, finding several of the furry creatures around the park - something we don't get back home in Perth. We made a quick pit stop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Lily to pose on the steps, Gossip Girl style and meandered back along the west side of the park down to Strawberry Fields to see the John Lennon memorial. A tone deaf busker attempted to play guitar and sing 'Imagine' to a disparaging audience. A quick snack at Le Pain Quotidien, followed by a ride on the Subway to Grand Central finished off our afternoon before joining the crowds along the FDR Drive for the 39th Macy's 4th of July Fireworks along the East River.

Dinner was at a small Italian restaurant which appeared to be serving pizza to the entire NYPD. Boxes upon boxes of pizza were leaving the restaurant and being carted off by various police officers. We found a spot next to the United Nations building and camped out for the next two hours waiting for the show to begin. The fireworks dazzled the crowds with their showers of red, white and blue. Meanwhile, the security was intense with thirty to forty officers suddenly appearing from nowhere when an incident went down a few metres away from where we stood. Considering the concerns about terror threats, I've never felt safer.

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