I love New York.

I love New York.

Ever since my, all be it rather short, stint of living in the big city I've been hooked.

I lived in NYC for just under six months when I was 21. I studied a semester at F.I.T, the Fashion Institute of Technology. Feels longer than 6 years ago.. I lived with two fabulous girls from the course, Rose and Becky. We shared a small apartment in the East Village. East 13th Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue, above a launderette.

New York was the main reason I even enrolled on my Uni course. I remember the very day I had my interview, sat listening to the course leader who quite casually threw in that after our year placement in a London Head Office we would be going to New York to study for a term. Up until then I was torn between choosing a course in fashion management or music industry management (basically I wanted to move to London) this made my mind up. Fired up, I went for my interview.

When asked what Merchandising was I quite confidently said it was the pretty displaying of stock (or words to that affect), the course leader pulled her glasses down her nose and peered over, "No Paul, that is not what we do here, that would be visual merchandising". Oooops, not a good start, I managed to swing it round and some how, was accepted. 4 years at the University of Westminster here I come! Oh yes, I was moving to London, well Harrow as it turned out, but I was that little bit closer.

After I got back to London and back at work, As gay as it may sound, I knew I wanted to do the trip over and over again, in fact I wanted to do trips, lots of them. I commenced operation "Career Change".

Even as I fly on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 (much to my families dread), on my third time back since I lived above that launderette, I'm excited. Most trips I sleep on the flight, this is one of the few destinations that I can arrive feeling like crap, jet-lagged to the max but instantly feel awake and ready to go.

I have some rather intensive shopping to do for work (it's time to kick off AW12), an inspirational trip to a secret location for trend research and an outerwear meeting on Wednesday morning but I intend to get some alone time in too. I have a feeling it might involve an early morning but it's my favourite way to see the city. Just me, a bagel and a Starbucks in hand. I wonder if that Launderette is still going strong?! I'll keep you updated.

- Posted (with love) from my gorgeous iPad (somewhere over The Newfoundland) - erm ?!?!