Boo and I have a new walk. When we moved last winter from the high West 80's to the low West 70's, we had to find a new route. You may not think 17 blocks makes that big of a difference, but in NYC, it's a whole new neighborhood. Frankly, it's been hard to find a good walk. I was used to my switchback walks in the high-80's / low 90's, passing by lovingly restored brownstones, enviously peering into windows of duplexes or one-family homes. Down in the low-70's there is a greater dichotomy between high and low--empty brownstones t0 carved up spaces with sleeping lofts to the few one-family homes by CPW.

But we found a new walk. We head east on 74th, where by the time you get to Amsterdam, the two towers of the San Remo rise about the neighborhood. I wonder about the view from those towers--east across the Park, west to the Hudson, downtown--how far downtown can they see? Then we walk one block south on Central Park West, the Park trees dark against the night, past the Langham. The first time we ever walked past the Langham, Boo trotted right up the steps to the doorman, as if he went there every day. (Which then made me wonder about the life of NYC dogs when they are not with their owners. How many building has Boo been in with his walkers? How many dog friends does he have on the Upper West Side? Does he go into the Langham every day?) Finally, we turn the corner on 73rd to head west towards home. Here I can peer into the windows of the Dakota, apartments with high ceilings apartments with potted palms, crystal chandeliers, and polished oak screens.

All of this tonight reminded me the challenges of getting used to, and then decorating, a new home. Over the weekend, I was reading a home decor book by NYC designer Jeffrey Bilhuber (Design Basics), looking for ideas for my new apartment, which sadly (and confoundingly!) has not felt particularly "home-like" over the past few months. One of his suggestions jumped out at me: "Start with the simplest solution." Sounds sort of, well, simple. But sometimes we get so caught up in the big picture of decorating--all that has to be done, fixed, renovated, furniture to be purchased, color choices--that it's hard to break it out into small steps. So, I rearranged the furniture. It was the simplest thing, but it had a huge impact. I can't figure out why I didn't see months ago that the new arrangement would work so much better. That it would open up the space, make it feel more welcoming, that lying full out on the couch to watch TV would be more comfortable than curling up on one corner.

We're starting to get used to things down here in the 70's.