I had a meeting this afternoon just down from Madison Square Gardens and the Empire State building. Neither of them really have the kerb appeal that their names suggest.

These past few days in New York have been frantic. Essentially, a conference about the future of publishing took me there and it was worthwhile, but what stays in the memory, apart from the Greek and Cuban restaurants we went to, is being on a Spinning exercise bike in the hotel gym at 6:50 a.m. overlooking Times Square from the 23rd floor. The bike was so hi-tech that if you plugged your headphones in you could follow a personal video coach saying “you’re a champion” and “feel the burn” as I pedalled up the virtual hills. But I got more of a buzz from looking out the window.

And now I’m glad to be heading back to Boston. I managed to book tickets to see David Sedaris read new material at the Symphony Hall, have somehow agreed to join a book club and karaoke collective called Book Group 1492, and am about to sign Rob and myself up for a 100 mile charity cycle ride from Boston to Cape Cod.

I haven’t been to a rehearsal yet with the Chorus, but once I do I think we can say that the assimilation is complete. For now at least. Tomorrow means a trip to apply for my Social Security number.