Tuesday: A Good Book, A Weird Series, A Bad Map, and Vultures

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 08:30:07 -0400

A 'New York Apartment Story'

AM New York, everyone's favorite daily, breaks through with a week-long "interactive housing feature." Ever wondered about the "borough identity" of Marble Hill residents? Or the proverbial "1,000-square-foot carpet made of $100 bills"? It's your lucky week. AM will dedicate daily issues to info on buying, renting, developments, etc; plus some history, some numbers, and some personal anecdotes. Especially personal anecdotes. (AM New York)

What's more important than memorizing this week's quasi-thorough map to Manhattan celebrity--except for keeping up-to-date on the status of Hilary Swank and Chad Lowe's Charles Street love nest. After all, the $8.25 million pad even has--or had?--its own website. (New York)

The Believer says Toni Schlesinger's Five Flights Up and Other New York Apartment Stories is as good as the Velvet Underground and Faberge eggs. Five Flights compiles Ms. Schlesinger's Village Voice "Shelter" columns from 1997-2006, which provides for a lot of pristine real estate free-association (Greenwich Village=squid, Chinatown=High Times, the East Village=the Arctic.) So true. (Believer)

Caring about construction height, community integrity, and architectural preservation is all the rage: East Villagers say they aren't pleased about the 26-story NYU dorm going up on 12th Street. It's a pity they aren't more welcoming to 700 more NYU kids. (NY1)

What do we learn when The Times runs two stories on one day about painters and DUMBO real estate? Nothing. (New York Times)

What do we learn when Prudential Douglas Elliman senior VP Leonard Steinberg says real estate vultures "are already out and about in Manhattan"? That a bloody burst is around the bend. But have no fear: Corcoran CEO Pam Liebman promises that everything's still fine (sort of). (CNN/Money)

- Max Abelson

Observer » Tuesday: A Good Book, A Weird Series, A Bad Map, and Vultures

Tuesday: A Good Book, A Weird Series, A Bad Map, and Vultures