Touchdown in New York
Playing rugby for club and country takes you all over the world, but all that training doesn't leave much time for sightseeing. A weekend away therefore usually means Richmond rather than Rome.
Now that I've retired from the game, I'm off on my travels whenever I can. And choosing my first short break was easy - it had to be New York.
Until last week I'd only managed half a day there, but that was enough to see what a fantastic city it is - clean, friendly and fun.
Our wish list was pretty straightforward. See a few famous sights, do a bit of shopping and, oh yes, tickets to a big American football game.
NFL game tickets are like gold-dust so we took a package from Indigo Sports Tours, the appointed UK tour operator for the NFL Europe League, which included a $75 big-match ticket, flights and a decent central hotel so that we could walk round the city.
Flying out on a British Airways scheduled flight Friday morning and back late Monday evening gave us almost four full days away for the price of only two days off work.
We unwound at our hotel, the Metropolitan on Lexington Avenue and East 51st Street, a few blocks from Central Park and Times Square, then strolled out, soaking up the atmosphere and checking out the bars, ending up in SoHo.
It's a great area, full of restored cast-iron buildings, trendy galleries, designer shops and, of course, excellent restaurants and clubs. Try the Lotus Room - we had good fun there until the early hours.
It was a slow start to Saturday and breakfast in a little local deli. Then we tackled the Empire State Building. That view from the 102nd floor is still worth the queue. Next the shops: Macy's, Bloomingdales, Saks - we did them all. I'm a big guy and it can be hard finding clothes that fit, but not in New York, and it was good value to boot.
For the first time in my life I possess a ski suit which fits me so I can look forward to my first ski trip in 12 years.
Travel Guide: New York