3 Doormen, A Laundress, and a Grand Piano

I wish that I were the kind of person that could make up a funny joke or amusing anecdote involving the doormen, the laundress and the grand piano but I don't have that kind of creative gift.  I had you thinking for a minute there, though, didn't I? 

Today, I'd like to tell you about the place we're staying and show you some pictures of the building.  It is a wonderful location with a Whole Foods and a wine store just 2 blocks away, the Apple store is 2 blocks in the other direction, and Central Park is directly across the street.  I think that Times Square is about 8 blocks away.  When I stand on the corner I can see all of the lighted signs but we haven't walked down there yet. 

Our building is a pre-war building with lots of nice decorative touches.  When you enter the building there are 3 doormen on duty at all times.  One turns the revolving door for you (step into the opening and then he pushes it), one doorman sits at the front desk watching security cameras and one is there to spring into action if a person needs help carrying anything, etc. 



As you enter the lobby you walk down three steps and there is a beautiful grand piano and a fireplace with a seating area.  The other night we came out of the elevator and there was a man sitting at the piano playing and singing.  At first, I thought, "Is there entertainment in the lobby?" but then I realized that there was no tip jar and the singer must be a resident. 



After you pass through the lobby you go through a lovely hallway to the elevators.  I've seen elaborate decorations in hotels but it's hard to believe that some people live like this.  All the time.  The hallway is mirrored and has beautiful Asian screens.  My pictures don't really do it justice - I'll have to ask Santa for an upgrade on my camera. 



We are staying on the 7th floor in a small one bedroom apartment.  It's like a hotel room in many ways.  There is a small kitchen with a two-burner stove, a mini-fridge and a breakfast space.  The kitchen is nicely laid out and there is plenty of room.  The living room is very spare.  There are two black couches that fold out into beds and a desk.  That's it.  There is a newly refinished hardwood floor and a wall of mirrors - almost like a dance studio.  Great for yoga!  The apartment does have a small bedroom with a big closet but no dressers.  There are built in shelves in the closet for all of our clothes and it works perfectly.  It's just different from what we're used to in the Midwest. 



The building also has a gym and a laundry room.  That's where the laundress comes in.  While you can certainly do your own laundry (like I did this morning) a resident can drop off their laundry in the laundry room that is attached to the gym and it will be done by Samantha who is the laundress for the building.  Because I'm me and I'm from the Midwest, I know that Samantha has lived in Queens for 20 years and takes the subway into Manhattan every day. 

Some of you may be wondering how we ever lucked into such a great place to rent.  Jack and I spent a lot of time searching the various internet sites for affordable vacation rentals and were totally overwhelmed.  A couple of blocks the wrong way could make a big difference in terms of safety, much less convenience.  As my girls have told me often, "You don't get to walk, you have to walk" when you live in a city.  Luckily, our daughter Emily and her boyfriend Grant remembered that the parents of one of their friends own a place in New York City that was currently vacant.  The owners live in Switzerland and this is one of their vacation homes.  We're so lucky that they were willing to rent us their apartment for a few months.  Hopefully, we'll get to meet them when they're here in New York for the holidays.  They're staying in a hotel so that we don't have to move out and move back in after they're gone.  Very nice.  

I don't want to forget to mention that Jack and I have had 2 celebrity sightings so far.  We saw John Oliver from the Daily Show standing on the street on Sunday and yesterday, we saw Tony Bennett on our block.  He was wearing one of those jogging suits like Rodney Dangerfield wore in Caddyshack.

Tomorrow we're going to try and watch at least some of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Hopefully, it won't rain and my camera will be up to the challenge!