No, they certainly cannot. As sure as we are that the sun will rise in the morning, or that Alex Rodriguez takes part in ritual human sacrifice, we can be certain that Murray Hill will always?unequivocally?suck. That's just the lot cast for the post-collegiate fraternihood, and that's the indentity it embraces. But every now and then, somebody tries to tell us that, no, things are changing in Murray Hill. They're not, but we'll listen anyway. This time around it's Max Gross in the Post, who says that a slew of new developments, like the Vetro (top left) on East 31st Street and the Charleston (top right) over on 34th, are going to make Murray Hill grow up and get classy. Quote please:
When Romas Viesulas, his wife, Florence, and his two young daughters were scouring neighborhoods for an apartment, they made a list of everything Murray Hill had going for it. "It's not quite Gramercy," says Viesulas, 36, who just bought in Park East Condominiums, "but consider this: Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Les Halles, Country, Blue Smoke, I Trulli, Artisanal and innumerable Japanese, Indian and Korean restaurants" are all nearby.
Yes, he's right. Murray Hill is close to places where you can eat food. An interesting side note on the Charleston, which we've mentioned before, is that it's about halfway sold, and will open in August. According to Elliman's listings, you can still snag a 560-square-foot studio for $660,000. Don't do it for you. Do it for a neighborhood.
· Something About Murray [NYP]