One of the most surprising things to me about New York was the relative insignificance of pro sports. There seem to be two pillars in The Big Apple: the arts; and business. Sports celebs are most apparent in Times Square, arguably the “cheapest” and most boring part of the city. Sure, the Yankees are in evidence. But what are they compared with the Metropolitan Museum of Art? Arguably not much in the grand scheme of things. Which is, in my opinion, very healthy. We’d better shift our priorities here, and quickly: not only in terms of live performance and the arts (the new gallery is a step in the right direction), but also in dealing with our growing homelessness and drug problems. Not that NY doesn’t have these problems — the disparity between rich and poor is worse in the US, but we’re moving in that direction — but I think they are lucky that they lost out on the 2012 Olympics.

How did the budget work? Not asking fo selfish r reasons but jus t as a guide for any future junkets to great cities.

Next? New York again? Paris? (my choice) London (British Museum) also high on my list. Vienna? Florence?

QUE STION (answer required): What is a world class city?