1) You saw this coming, right? 2007 is the year of the penthouse. Per the hype, these high-floor units represent the new ultimate for high-end buyers who refuse to settle for second best. The city's biggest developers are giving the public what they want, offering penthouses on more than just the top floor by building them on the top three or four levels of their projects. It seems buyers love the large spaces, high ceilings and private terraces even more than the status of pressing that PH button when they ride the elevator with the lower-floor proletariat. [Christine Haughney/Living Above It All]
2) A Boston couple with plans to relocate to Manhattan get smacked by the realties of the New York market when their $3,000/month rental budget can't get them a one bedroom with a washer/dryer or near a grass park for their puggle, who refuses to go on concrete. Solution? Our faithful heroes simply increased their budget by $500 and presto! They found a one-bedroom in the Windsor Park condos just off Central Park that was just right. [Joyce Cohen/The Hunt]
3) While dreaming of Greenmarket shopping, Suzanne Slesin goes Window Shopping at 8 Union Square South, Michael Shvo's 14-story paradise currently rising across from the park. While the actual building still isn't ready (oops), a tour reveals some promising features (some great park views, Quintessentially concierge service, soap drawers) but the hefty price tags ($9 million for the penthouse) means daily gourmet eating may just have to wait. [Suzanne Slesin/Window Shopping]
4) As banks fill every available retail space, one is attempting to stand out from the crowd, and it's not through no-fee ATM's. The Park Avenue Bank's flagship location at 350 Park Avenue has been doubling as an art gallery for customer who wait in line for their turn at the window. They will host six exhibits per year in a 475sqft space not used for banking. [Jennifer Bleyer/Urban Studies]