Pupper West Side: Gal About Town, Cleo, Shares Her Weekend Routine

By Audrey Campbell

Hello, hello! I’m Cleo, a two-year-old Bernedoodle and lifelong Upper West Sider. As a curious extrovert and enthusiastic gal about town, I welcome every weekend as a new opportunity for metropolitan fun and adventure.

After a busy work week, my ideal weekend starts by decompressing at Vin Sur Vingt and watching all of the other pups stroll by. The sidewalk tables and open atmosphere feel so Parisian and the waitstaff are warm and welcoming. Mom and I will meet a friend for a leisurely catch up over wine and olives. I’ll poke my nose hopefully up at the table to snag a bite of one of their delicious brie and honey tartines.

On Saturday morning, it’s coffee and croissants at Taralucci e Vino before we head to Central Park for a long walk. Sometimes my friend, Olive, will join us and we’ll trade neighborhood gossip. There’s so much to see and discover in Central Park. In fact, one time my keen nose led me straight toward a group of people sitting outside at one of the picnic tables near the Great Lawn and feasting on a steak dinner.

Occasionally, we’ll encounter horse-mounted NYPD officers when we’re strolling along the Central Park road in the evenings. The horses are SO LARGE – it’s almost unsettling – so I prefer to stop and quietly watch them go by while placing my front paws in Mom’s lap. It helps if she holds my hand.

After some Saturday morning exercise, I like to stroll across the park to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and take in one of their new exhibits. So many interesting dogs are captured in the great art work on display there! Once I’ve had my weekly dose of arts and culture, I’ll come back home for a little relaxation before it’s time to go out for a night out on the town. Mom and I take the subway to the West Village to enjoy a negroni at Bar Pisellino or light bites at B’artusi.

If we’re not going out, I also enjoy hosting friends and family at home. Sometimes a group of girlfriends comes over for a lively potluck dinner to which Mom contributes her famous oh-so-easy poached salmon with lemon and dill and I serve as resident door greeter and tail-wagger.

On Sunday mornings, we’ll kick back with coffee and a newspaper at Flowers on the Park. Later on, we’ll venture further afield and head to Brooklyn to visit my friend Bear. Bear and I will pop in and out of the shops along Atlantic Avenue and romp around in the park together before cooling off at Pilot – an outdoor oyster bar aboard a wooden sailboat that is docked in Brooklyn Heights. What a world!

And then…whew…sorry, I’m getting a little sleepy just talking to you…then, by the time we get home, it’s all I can do to put on my pajamas *yawns* and curl up in bed before the week starts again with an early Monday morning wake up call. ZzzzzZZzzzzzzzZZzz…….*light snoring*

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If you think your pup deserves a shot at neighborhood fame, we encourage you to reach out to Audrey at pupperwestsideuws@gmail.com to be considered for a future profile on West Side Rag and follow your fellow Pupper West Sider’s adventures on Instagram @pupper_west_side_uws