Hebe and Juno’s new home in the West Village

May 10 2013

If anyone has a Swiss bank account that they would like to share, please let us know, and then send Hebe and Juno (business class of course) – Lydia and I would like to buy a house in the Village and Hebe and Juno would have lots of friends – Max who was out with his mother was very cute and would make a nice friend for the girls. He is a long-haired daschund but we think the girls could cope because they will be very happy chasing squirrels around their local park.

We had a wonderful walk around out new neighbourhood and found our local coffee shop and where we will buy our bagels once we move in. Washington Square Park is a very nice brunch spot with bagels from Murray’s – Scottish smoked salmon and cream cheese would be very nice for breakfast each day – at least we had protein, and maybe slightly more healthy than bagels with peanut butter and cream cheese (hmmm maybe not!). We don’t mind that our neighbours will be Uma Thurman and Sarah Jessica Parker – we are happy to have them share our neighbourhood as we stroll the gorgeous tree lined and cobbled streets. We don’t mind that the bohemian days of Greenwich Village are gone as Hebe and Juno are far too refined to be bohemian and it is not that far on the subway to MOMA. The brownstones are really lovely and we thought we could sit on the steps of ours aka Carrie Bradshaw. It is hard to believe that the frenetic streets of New York are all around, in such a peaceful and beautiful neighbourhood.

From Greenwich Village we went to the 911 memorial. It was quite emotional to stand staring into the deep holes of the World Trade Centre buildings. The memorial is very beautiful with the single survivor tree surrounded by swamp white oaks. The pools are ringed by the names of the almost 3000 people who lost their lives that day. Seems that it was a bit symbolic being there today as the building reached 1776 feet, with the erection of the 408 foot spire this morning, draped in a US flag.

Our mastery of the New York subway continued with a train ride to MOMA. Well sort of mastery. Standing in front of another ticket machine trying to figure out what our zip code was to be able to buy a train ticket. A few trips back to the window trying to figure out what numbers we had to put in and we were eventually on our way to 11 West 53rd Street with me exceptionally excited, as of course Chagall’s are a feature of their surrealist collection. Frida Kahlo just inside the door, a heap of Picasso’s hanging around and a whole wall of Monet – but seems they think they might have lent the Chagall’s to someone – they are just not sure who might have them or where they might be – I suppose no great cause for concern, in that the last one that came up for sale only fetched about 4 million dollars, but I guess when there are rooms and rooms of Cezanne’s, Picasso’s, Dali’s, Van Gogh’s and Monet’s, a few misplaced is not something to worry about.

Well we are off to Times Square – we don’t expect Friday night in Times Square will be as peaceful as the location of our new home but after a day of upper class gorgeousness, priceless art and beautiful tributes we need a bit of New York glitz!