Upper west side special of the week

If you know anything about me, you'll know that I'm on the internet every night looking for Manhattan real estate. The apartment above is one room, one closet and, as you can see a half-fridge and a cupboard badly nailed to the wall. The bathroom is out in the hall and is shared with several other people. This apartment is on West 88th Street between Central Park West and Columbus Ave. It's a thousand dollars a month.

West 88th and Central Park West is a fine address, but how much is one willing to sacrifice (if you're poor like me) to live at such a fine address? I have looked carefully at the photos and I figure this room is twice the width of the hallway that extends between my kitchen and the garage, and perhaps the same length. I'm guessing this room is six by ten. Barely six by ten.

I'm not sure a single bed fits across the width of this room like under that window, for example.

In fact, it looks like the room narrows down to the window, unless the window is much larger than it seems.

If I were renting this apartment, I would ask that they remove the fridge and the cupboard. They take up far too much space, and I would eat out and keep some fruit and crackers around.

That is if I could walk up and down the four stories of stairs. It's not an elevator building.

It IS sunny. If you stand in the window.

Festival of Trees

You should all attend the Salt Lake City Festival of Trees and make your way to Aisle A where Sam and Sarah's tree is displayed. The tree honors Lucy Gladys who lived for four months in Primary Children's Hospital in 2004. Sarah has designed a new tree every year for six years and they have all been fabulous. This year may be my favorite ever. Mark Eaton bought it for his restaurant "Tuscany," where it will be displayed after this weekend.

They are holding Elliot and Louis, Lucy's younger brothers.

All donations from food sales, tickets, tree and wreathe sales go to Primary Children's Hospital. It's a great outing.

Murgatroyd and me

Murgatroyd was bored last Friday and wanted to go to Grandma's house. She is seven. I was on my way out to buy a comfortable pair of shoes, so I took her with me. "Now where do YOU want to go?" I asked her after I'd gotten my shoes.

"Justice," she said. It's a teeny-bopper store. We walked in and everything was 40% off so I bought her a skanky black dress with rhinestones and silver flats.

"I'm glad I came over when you wanted to go shopping," she told me.

We walked to the car. Murgatroyd gets into the back seat, which always surprises me. She seems old enough to be able to sit next to me in the front seat.

I get in the passenger seat in the front.

Murgatroyd says, "Grandma, who's going to drive the car? Your spirit?"

Duh.

Later, Charles her father said, "I told her you're bored here and now you want to go over to Grandma's house to be bored there."

Murgatroyd heard this and said, "Grandma's never boring."

I'll use it for my epitaph.