Scoop In New York: On President's Day Eve

On arrival in New York I managed to get a ride in from John F Kennedy Airport to Manhattan in the back seat of a jet-black Lincoln. Five minutes into the trip, I realised I was sitting in the 'hit-seat' – that's the rear-right seat for those who haven't read the 'Dapper Don' John Gotti's exploits. But at 60 miles per hour (115 kph) and with the signs for Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan (and other vehicles) blurring passed the vehicle I realised speed would save me from a bullet.

Scoop co-editor Selwyn Manning is on assignment in New York City.

If white knuckles are an indicator of one's anxiety I'm proud to say it was the only one in evidence on my otherwise cool and calm exterior. After all, I had an image to live up to: only two kinds of people ride in the back of black Lincolns: those whose demeanour aids longevity and those whose anxiety heralds an untimely end. I was determined not to sleep the night with the fishes beneath Brooklyn Bridge so held the seat belt in a vice-like grip and rode it out – and as the girders of that famous landmark flew passed my tinted window, I realised for the first time one can be rather Don Corleone-like if one chooses!

On the eve of US President's Day, snow covered streets is the backdrop to the Big Apple scene. This is USA, but more so it is New York. You have to look hard for a US Flag flying in this Manhattan precinct.
Click for big version