05 Mar My home-away-from-home In NY

A friend from church who lives in NY will be in Europe all summer, so she has asked me to house sit her home while away { twisted my arm! }. Only 7-8 blocks from Parson’s, I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible gift.

My home-away-from-home is a studio apartment in a lovely part of the West Village . . . very near to the Hudson River. There are some beautiful historic townhouses and co-ops on the tree-lined streets in this area. Up and down the neighboring streets are bookstores, cozy cafes, and quaint shops . . . for a moment you’ll feel like you’re in Paris. This building, originally built as a private residence, has a historic charm and a charming courtyard.

My friend tells me that the neighbors are lovely. Because of my love of architecture, I’ll especially enjoying talking with the architect on the next floor. His wife keeps the courtyard gardens so I know I’ll value time with her.

“There’s no TV nor cable”, she apologizes. I couldn’t be happier. If there’s anything in my own home that I would like to pitch, it’s the noisy TV. Besides, there is so much I want to see outside, I doubt I’ll ever miss it.

The only problem I see with the location of this new home of mine is that – on my way to class each morning – I pass a place called The Magnolia Bakery. Go peruse the list of breakfast items, like the Cappuccino Chocolate Chip Muffins or the Lemon Vanilla Bundt Coffee Cake. Guess my plans to eat cereal and yogurt in the mornings will go to hell in a hand basket. Oh, well.

I keep pinching myself. Is this really real?

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