Bush Twin Kicks Neighbors to the Curb
Oct. 27 2008, Published 7:07 a.m. ET
SPACE CADETS One of two signs on 9th Street; Barbara and Jenna Bush Among the perks of being a daughter of the President of the United States: round-the-clock free parking for your security detail. Residents of the Greenwich Village block where Barbara Bush has been living recently noticed a pair of new signs on the curb reading "FLEO." The signs, whose acronym stands for "Federal Law Enforcement Officer," appear to be there to carve out a space for the Secret Service S.U.V. that idles on the street whenever Bush is around.
After taking several days to look into the matter, a spokesman for the New York City Department of Transportation was unable to say who, if anyone, had requested the signs—which, needless to say, have inspired quite a few grumbles from other well-heeled residents on the perpetually parking-strapped block.
It's an open secret in the neighborhood that Barbara, who reportedly works at the Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum, lives on West 9th Street in a building owned by the daughter of Bush's longtime friend, Chelsea Piers developer Roland Betts. Jenna, Barbara's twin, is also frequently seen entering and leaving the building, although, according to the Washington Post, she has been working in Panama as an intern for Unicef since the end of the summer. (The White House typically doesn't comment on the twins' whereabouts and did not respond to a message from RadarOnline.com.)
While the Bushes must feel safe knowing their fun-loving daughters are in good hands, they might prefer not to dwell on the building's other tenant: dissolute alt-country rocker Ryan Adams.