In the Soho neighborhood of Manhattan, along Prince Street, there is a little café called The Little Prince.
History
It is the last territory of the principality of Grenovia, formerly located between Switzerland and Liechtenstein. It was
ceded to the Grenovian government-in-exile in 1945 so that the Grenovian
Crown Prince, Gustav Auditori, could be born on his own sovereign territory.
Now,
this has happened before with monarchies in exile. But this time was different, because, through a
bureaucratic oversight, the territory was not given back to the United
States. As a result, Grenovia remains. It is currently the only Micronation to have
international recognition and a seat in the U.N.
The Café has
relatively simple border security and customs, in the form of two large
bouncers. The ruler of Grenovia is always the chef. Currently Gustav's son Yorrick fills this role. He also
handles internal security with a book of spells and occasionally a large
club. Such violence is not frequently necessary. Most residents of the
greater NYC area know that the café is the only place to find Grenovian
Dollars. You can’t purchase Big Favors, wishes, Last Train tickets, or
passage to Left New York without Grenovian dollars.
Gustav never actually leaves the building, for
“health reasons”, as he says, more likely because the various Mafias of
the city would love to get their hands on the recipe for Grenovian
Dollars. So his family does all the purchasing of food. Crown Princess
Analosa gathers the limes, which are most vital; the value of a
Grenovian Dollar is based on how satisfied the prince is with the day’s
selection of limes. You probably have a Grenovian Dollar in your
apartment that you are saving for an emergency. Look at it today. Is it
shiny? Does it make you feel a little happier? Yorrick is satisfied
today.
By Grenovian Law, the royal family must be married on
Grenovian Soil. This required that Analosa’s marriage to the crown
princess of the Manhattan people, Lily Two-Rivers, take place in the
café. In attendance were the Mayor of New York, his entire staff, the
starting lineup of the Jets, the entire neighborhood, a delegation from
each neighborhood of each borough, and Baby Doc Duvalier. Per Lily’s
request, free drinks were limited to one per person. Everybody ordered Absinthe and got smashed anyway.
Some grumbled that the marriage was purely political, like all royal marriages, just a matter of
ingratiating the Grenovians to the Manhattan people. Maybe that’s what Yorrick was thinking of. But it is also true that Analosa and Lily
practically require a crowbar in order to be separated, and the Lime
Satisfaction Meter has been at its highest level ever since the marriage
took place.
Statistics
Grenovian Flag: A blue man in a top hat on a field of red
National Anthem: "Wake, the Dawn is now full rising", typically played on handbells
National Bird: Rock Dove
Chief Exports: Goodwill and cheer
Chief imports: Limes, sidewalk pennies
Population: 14 + daily variable
Capital: You've got to have it in this city
Ethnic groups: Equal parts Grenovian and Manhattan Indian
Language: foul
Square meterage: 2255 if you add the family residence above the café
Units: METRIC DAMMIT
Elevators: 1 clunky piece of junk from the '40s
GDP: The café is privately owned and keeps its finances secret
HDI: Would be at highest level if they didn't keep finding roaches in the kitchen
Drives on the: Left
Calling code: Don't worry, we'll call you
Internet TLD: .grv
Currency: Decimal
Cuisine: Sour