Welcome to It Happened One Weekend, our weekly roundup of The New York Times real estate section...
1) Reports from the Rezone
Add this to the constantly growing tempest over the Midtown East rezone: according to The Times, preservation activists are getting awfully worried about the future of several historically significant buildings in Midtown East, such as the Friars Club, The Minnie Young House, and several mansions, and are pushing for landmark designation. Apparently, they're making enough noise that a coalition of developers and real estate people (euphemistically named Midtown 21C: Coalition for a Globally Competitive New York) have put forward a nice little piece of propaganda called "Icons, Placeholders and Leftovers: Midtown East Report," as an attempt to discredit preservation arguments. ["Friars Club Proposed for Landmark Status"]
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 Hunter: a Brazilian couple looking to rent
Price
Dream: up to $7,500/month
Reality: $7,350/month
Neighborhood
Dream: "close to the UN"
Reality: Midtown West
Amenities
Dream: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, view
Reality: two bedrooms, two bathrooms, view, balcony, large windows
Summary
The Hunters this week are a Brazilian couple, one of whom works as a diplomat at the UN. After a relatively painless search in Midtown, they settled on a two-bedroom at The Icon on West 48th Street. Despite its small size and crappy location, the view is apparently pretty great and they're happy. Oh, and the Brazilian government pays for it. Being a diplomat sounds pretty awesome. [The Hunt/"Midtown West: Suitable for the Diplomatic Life"]
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