Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of the New York Times real estate section...
1) Rich people. What are they spending millions of dollars on? What are they complaining about? This is What's Up With Rich People?
Not that this is anything new, but rich people will spend quite a lot of money on very high floor apartments. Isn't that something. The higher the floor, the more the apartment meets most New Yorkers' dream pad criteria, which consists of light, unobstructed views, quiet, and, uh, how to put this delicately ... getting ladies to have sex with you (there!). "I'm single and my dates get very excited about sharing with me this fantastic view with Hollywood-style sunrises and sunsets," says one penthouse owner. "Of course, it's expensive, but it's worth it." He also says that on a cloudy day he feels like "a jet in the sky." This guy is living every young man's dream of being an airplane that gets laid a lot. ['The Stratospherians', photo by dannydalypix]
2) Every "The Hunt" column begins with the hunters describing the apartment they want, and ends with them rationalizing whatever they came away with. This is The Hunt: Dreams vs. Reality
The Hunters: A young married couple moving to the city temporarily from Stockholm, Sweden, looking to rent a one-bedroom.
Price
Dream: mid-$3,000s
Reality: $3,995
Neighborhood
Dream: Upper East Side or West Village
Reality: West Village
Amenities
Dream: "Our picture of a New York apartment is an exposed brick wall."
Reality: Sixth floor walk-up, small gym, shared roofdeck, no exposed brick
Summary
This was a fun one, in which the Hunters kept saying patently Swedish things such as, "We are used to cold weather. Maybe that is why we are the only ones using the rooftop," and "We were born and raised putting Ikea furniture together." They didn't exactly get everything they wanted (for the price they wanted it) but they're not staying that long anyway. [The Hunt/'Think of It This Way: Stairs Are an Amenity']
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