A Tiny Sliver of Window

February 6, 2006
New York City

From my desk, I see what you see in the picture above. I sit here and write or email or pay bills. And when it all gets to be too much, I look out this tiny sliver of a window dressed with a filmy roman shade, and watch a passing cloud or catch a dove perched on the railing two stories above me.

I fought for this desk over the architect's objections ( too small a space ) and the designer's worries ( no room for bookshelves ) because I couldn't bear the idea that I had a window tucked away in a cubbyhole-sized space that I wouldn't be actively using every single day. For those of you who are not New Yorkers, it may not seem too big of a deal. But New York apartments are about three things in my view: light, light, and light. That, of course, comes after location...location, but you knew that was a must for re-sale. No, light is the essential for that critical period between buying and selling. And every time I sit at this desk with its pencil drawers and extension to house my printer, I'm glad I prevailed.
M.C.