Helen described life inside her house in great detail, but she never described the house itself. I read with interest the only description of her apartment and the road she lived on. “Fred and I occupied, then as now, the third floor, formerly the attic, of a very old three-family frame house on a private road off Southern Boulevard that seems to be pushed back and forgotten.” (p.18) I did a Google search of dozens of tiny streets off Southern Blvd, but never found the right street.
Finally, on the last page of the book Helen says; “And again the little apartment on Old Kingsbridge Road echoed to the infant cries of cats.” (p.208)
Thanks to Google Earth I was able to virtually walk down Helen’s street and look at the buildings on Old Kingsbridge Road. There were only 3 houses on the tiny street. I checked realtor sites and actually found one of the houses for sale. I took a virtual tour of the inside of the house and it closely resembled the rooms Helen described. This was the house I chose to illustrate. it may or may not have been her actual house, but it fit the description of her 3rd floor apartment with a view of the zoo. (PICTURES 3 & 4)