I’m free today. As are most of the crew. The girls and those among us who are working are in Redhook Brooklyn for a shoot with some local New York firemen.

Anouk and I spent the day, just as yesterday on city-bikes. You can take the girls out of Holland, but you can’t take Holland out of the girls in the end. It’s so easy to rent a bike. Stick your credit card in the slot, make up a post code (I think 90210 is a fabulous choice) and off you go. On your bike through Greenwich. It’s a wonderful thing.

Dirk and two of the non-working crew Daan and Jillis soon join up with us. We first stop off at Balthazar for a bite to eat, because even though our hotel is great, the breakfast just does not do it for working men with healthy appetites. So onwards to Noho because the eggs are perfect at Balthazar and the chance of seeing and being seen is huge.

Anouk had Eggs Benedict, the guys had serious omelettes wrapped in pastry and I had a soft boiled egg (fashion girl), and then we headed on. Filled with protein courage we decide to cycle all the way to the studio. Deep into Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Bridge was a little heavy but it flew by in our euphoria. Going down is a party. We simply ignored the swearing New Yorkers shouting “on your left, on your left” or the tutting because we had stopped for a photo-op. If you’re such a New Yorker, take the Manhattan bridge. Everyone that crosses the Brooklyn Bridge has the right to a photo opportunity. Point.

We cycle through the chic Brooklyn Heights (where the Cosby family lived) and turn off onto Coffee Street, Redhook. Make a note because there are a few lovely lunch restaurants, a wine bar and an amazing chemist plus a fabulous view onto Manhattan, so Instagram-wise a perfect place.

One questionable point for Redhook is the Citybike-stalls. Nowhere to be found. You are supposed to park your Citybike in the official stalls every half hour to charge them. Otherwise you have to pay more. What do we care. I mean how much can a rent bike possibly be?

We throw the bikes down at the studio and visit ‘our’ girls and the delicious looking models who are posing as firemen. Then we head off for lunch at a cool little place around the corner. Then we cycle on to admire Brooklyn, dump the bikes at the official location and jump into a tube (when in New York, do as New Yorkers do) and head for home.

The next morning I get a call. American Express. “We suspect card fraud,” says the lovely lady on the other side. Yesterday 75 dollars was charged to your card for bike hire. It seemed unlikely. “Don’t worry, madam, it’s correct,” I say. “We rode to Redhook Brooklyn and could not find a Citybike-stall, that’s why.” What on earth was I doing riding a bike from Manhattan to Brooklyn, she asked. Just you wait and see, I assured her. It’s all happening in Redhook Brooklyn. You’ll be hearing a whole lot more about it.

On to episode 5.