Andre Leon Talley talks suburb living and hiding from bats

Who would have thought that Andre Leon Talley, known for his insatiable appetite for fashion would chose a quiet suburb over living in New York City?

As it turns out, the Vouge editor prefers the silence of the countryside over the hustle and bustle of Manhattan. In an interview with New York Times’ Magazine, ALT explained his affinity for the quieter Westchester village he calls home.

Now I live in Worthington, in a house built in the late 1800s, with four white columns and a circular porch painted a pale pearl gray that I imagined Pauline de Rothschild might have used. It’s from the porch where I can see the yard (I don’t call it a garden), which has become my sanctuary….The happiest moments of my childhood were spent on my grandmother’s front porch in Durham, N.C., or at her sister’s farmhouse in Orange County, where chickens paraded outside the kitchen’s screen door and hams were cured in the smokehouse. Up here at night, all is quiet, and you never hear a sound after 10 p.m.

Though suburb living comes with a certain peace, it also comes with certain cons. Namely, bats.

The downside of being around all this nature is that twice I have had a bat fly into my bedroom, having slipped in through the cracks of the screened window. I do not wish this experience on anyone. Nothing is more unpleasant than running screaming down the stairs, lying awake until dawn on the sofa, waiting for pest control to show up, only to hear, “Oh, it could be in your blanket or sheets, or behind a mirror.” (Once, a bat was found snoozing in the bathtub.) I’ve spent a small fortune on trying to deter bats from nesting in the cracks of the chimney or setting up house in the attic, and a great deal of time having the arborvitae and holly bushes framing the porch covered with burlap so deer don’t treat them like a buffet. But these are small prices to pay for peace.

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While I had to laugh at the visual of ALT huddled on a couch covered with one of his fabulous capes, I have to admit I see why he chose to live outside of the city. Growing up in a suburb then moving into Manhattan, I appreciate the quiet so much more. Still, there’s a time for everything and right now I’m enjoying city living. Maybe the crickets and bats will come later in life.

What do you think Clutchettes- burb or city life? Weigh in and tell us what you think!