And we're off! Pope Benedict XVI has officially landed at JFK airport and begun his first official visit to the great city of New York. And what a day for it! It's going to be 80 degrees out in the afternoon, as he travels around the city in his glass-plated Mercedes-Benz ML430 Popemobile. (We just hope that beast has air-conditioning, because those robes do not look like they breathe.) As we type Benedict is climbing out of Shepherd One, the official papal aircraft, and newscasters are talking about him in the hushed tones that they save for nature documentaries and deadly earthquakes. Later today he'll address the United Nations, visit a synagogue, and lead a multidenominational prayer service on the Upper East Side. Tonight he'll be staying in a church-owned townhouse on 72nd Street near Fifth Avenue. And we'll be here, live-blogging the whole thing. The outfits! The hats! The hilarious asides! The outfits! It will all be here, on this post. We should note in advance that both of your faithful Daily Intel bloggers are Catholic. Why do we point that out? So you know that we're going to heaven and you're not! Just kidding. It was so our asses were covered in case we write something totally offensive about His Royal Popeness. (This, unfortunately, calls into question everything we've written about Jews in the past, but we digress.) Okay, on to our endless pontification!

9:41: Ooh, great getup from the start. He's wearing an all-white linen number with a simple gold cross and a white yarmulke. That must be his travel outfit. It's completely wrinkle-free! Man, it's the little advantages of being holy that you don't think of that really make the difference. (Yes, former Daily Intel editor Jesse Oxfeld, we know it's not really a yarmulke.)