Last Thursday brought a quite unexpected treat. Business activity was polarised by an 8am conference call and a 5pm meeting and I suddenly realised that I had the perfect opportunity to wander around a museum at my leisure and, simultaneously, find sanctuary from the stifling city. New York was literally a city in heat, sweating profusely as the lank humidity enveloped it.

The subway was a revelation, however. That the station was clean and the train punctual was satisfying enough but, on stepping into the compartment, I was transported in more ways than one. The air conditioning was so cooling and so calming that I felt mildly disappointed that my rendezvous was only two stops uptown. Momentarily refreshed, I alighted and wandered in the vague direction of the museum. Having comprehensively proved to myself that I still had not mastered the city grid, I retired to an excellent caf