Why? I came to New York for the first time when I was 21, and I'll never forget catching my first glimpse of Manhattan as I rode in on the bus from JFK. Watching the skyline loom awesomely out of what I naively took to be mist, I thought I'd arrived in Metropolis and fell under the city's spell right away. In retrospect, of course, I realised that the mist was just the pollution, but that was the moment when I fell in love with New York. There are great swathes of America that I can't stand, but my love affair with New York has lasted 30 years.

What's the best thing? New York's edginess. No other city in the world has the quite the same sense of nervous energy. London's fabulous, but it's still relatively quaint and civilised. You can't say the same of New York; despite the massive clean-up campaign of the 90s, there's still that feeling of danger that gives it a unique character.

My perfect day: I'd hit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art and dip into the vast amount of culture that New York has to offer. In the afternoon, I'd hang out with my friends like I used to in the old days. Dinner would be at one of my favourite restaurants in SoHo.

My advice: New York can eat you alive, so the best thing to do is explore the city day by day and try not to do everything at once. It's also pretty hard to enjoy New York if you don't have friends here, so find someone who can offer you a bit of guidance and protection.

Getting there: British Airways (0845 7733377, www.britishairways.co.uk) offers return flights from London to New York from around £384pp. For the latest best offer, see Tickets to ride, page 23.

• Limited-edition signed prints of David Bowie taken by Mick Rock can be bought for £110 from Showcase Editions (01242 680012, e-mail: sales@showcaseeditions.co.uk).