"You just let me know if you get hungry or anything, kiddo," says Miss Eartha. "Real restaurants, fast food places, street food stands, you name it, we got it."

The golem starts striding off along Broadway, in a more or less northwesterly direction. The crowds, quite reasonably, part at her approach. Even the random guys in Elmo and Cookie Monster and Spongebob suits who're letting people get pictures taken with them get out of the way as she strolls through.