Might as well start things off with a bang in 2012 – I’m going to spend two weeks in the Big Apple.

Sometimes in life you get hosted by spectacular properties, other times a friend needs you to watch their cat.

Either way the result is the same: I’ve got a pad in Brooklyn after the New Year’s celebration.

I’ve wandered around New York City on multiple occasions, but it’s never been for more than a weekend at a time. I enjoyed my visits and can understand the appeal, yet many of my experiences have made me believe I could never live there.

Looking forward to putting that theory to the test in what will be my longest stopover in New York to date.