Barack Obama. Scott Olson/Getty Images Barack Obama told an audience on Thursday what he missed most about his old residence.

The former president said what he longed for most from the White House was sitting on the Truman Balcony on summer nights, looking off at the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial, an attendee told the New York Post.

Obama's made the comments during an appearance at the A&E Networks advertising upfront at the Pierre Hotel in New York, where he received a standing ovation. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin interviewed Obama for an hour and a half in front of network advertisers, and Obama earned a $400,000 speaking fee.

Days earlier, it was reported the former president would also pocket $400,000 for giving a speech to a Wall Street bank, Cantor Fitzgerald, in September. The Wall Street speaking fee drew criticism from some on the left and right. Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said it "troubled" her.

Obama told Goodwin he still had yet to be behind the wheel of a car since leaving office more than three months ago. The former president is also still learning how to use the coffee machine in his home in Washington, DC.

Here's a look at the view from the Truman Balcony: