I'm back in New York and super-excited. We flew in last night and, having packed for intense winter weather, were delighted at how warm and sunny it is. No coats needed which is great.

First up I start my trip just as I did last year with a very hearty breakfast at my much-loved Broadway Restaurant. All thoughts of eating healthily went out the window when we walked in and soon we were sitting down to waffles, bacon, eggs and syrup. Add in a few cups of coffee and already we're checking to see if our travel insurance covers us for self-inflicted heart attacks.

Fuelled by all the calories we've just consumed, it's time for a long walk. This is my third trip to New York and the first one for which my boyfriend has come along. I'm so excited to have him here that I spent most of today subjecting him to the 'and this is where I once bought a paper' type guide to Manhattan and every spot I have previously walked. Fortunately he's very patient and I get it out of my system soon.

After a walk down Broadway, spotting as many of Peter Woytuk's sculptures as we could, we head over to Columbus Avenue to visit one of my favourite shops: Jonathan Adler. I lust after unusual the pottery sold here and although they have recently opened a London branch, the item I am most craving, a peacock lolly holder, doesn't seem to have made it here yet. I first saw this piece on a website over a year ago and when I last visited the shop they had none in so I have patiently waited a year to see it in the flesh and decide if I wanted it. I'll give you two guesses as to whether I left the shop with one...

Still walking we made our way to Mad Museum to see their current exhibitions which were great and then after a lot more walking we made our way back to our apartment to recover.

On my last two trips to NYC I was either by myself, or with my parents, and didn't go out much in the evenings but this year I'll have partners in crime so have been busy checking out bar and restaurant recommendations. Of particular interest was this guide to the best cocktails of 2011 in NYC. So tonight we head off to The Beagle to check out their food and drink offerings. The restaurant is small and packed and we end up sitting at the bar which we really enjoyed despite initial misgivings. If nothing else we enjoyed watching the barmen working at such close-quarters. These guys really worked hard keeping everyone quenched and it was interesting to watch them at work.

The menu cleverly offers some 'pairing plates' where small dishes of food are matched with mini versions of drinks. I began with Burrata, braised celery and a mini martini then followed it up with duck escabeche and a mini armour cocktail (Sherry and two types of vermouth). Both were heaven. A couple more drinks and a bit more food and we were ready to head home and await the arrival of our third companion on this exciting trip.