Which classic Upper West Side co-op would you buy?

Imagine you have around $3.5 million to spend on a place and you've narrowed it down to two Upper West Side lofts. How do you make up your mind? The answer is simple: You shove them into a metaphorical cage and let them battle it out until one emerges victorious. It's time for Real Estate Deathmatch.

↓ First up, we have a three-bedroom apartment in Astor Court, one of the neighborhood’s prestigious co-op buildings. The pad in question has a slightly odd layout: You enter through a gallery (lined, in a lit-nerd’s dream, with bookshelves), with the living room and one of the bedrooms on one side—those come with views of Astor Court’s communal garden—and the other bedrooms, kitchen, and formal dining room on the other.

The kitchen itself is quite modern, and the apartment comes with a wood-burning fireplace, laundry, and other perks. The asking price on this one is $3.55 million, with monthly maintenance at a whopping $4,100. [Floorplan]

↓ Or there’s this two-bedroom on West 67th Street, located just steps from Central Park. The price is quite a bit lower than the other apartment—this one is asking $2.725 million—and it was recently renovated, though original elements its leaded stained-glass windows remain.

The kitchen is expansive, with a breakfast nook/dining area, and it has new appliances and plenty of cabinets. Though it’s billed as a two-bed, one of those rooms (which has an en-suite bathroom) is currently being used as an office. Monthly maintenance here is also lower than the other place, at $2,775. [Floorplan]

• Listing: 210 West 90th Street #2B [Warburg]
• Listing: 40 West 67th Street #6B [Compass]