By Kim Velsey 4/09 4:39pm

And then there were condos

11 Photos

The exterior. Check out the penthouse addition. (dbox)

The Carlton House: When You Want Extell, But Don’t Want to Pay One57 Prices

With prices ranging from $2.9 million to $65 million, no one can accuse Extell’s hotel-to-condo conversion at 21 East 61st Street—which just launched sales—of courting bargain hunters. But in comparison to Gary Barnett’s crown jewel rising a half mile away on 57th Street, the Carlton House looks positively affordable.

In comparison to anything other than uber-luxury condos poised to set records when they close for more than $90 million, the Carlton House is pricey indeed. Though anyone who was really hankering for the low end of the luxury market would be well-advised to stay away from Extell projects altogether—only Extell could make $65 million look, well, kind of reasonable. Read More

By Ralph Gardner Jr. 1/17/05 12:00am

Slick Bank Robber’s Ruse: Three-Transaction Monte

There’s more than one way to rob a bank, as a perp employing a scam that seemed ripped straight from a Marx Brothers movie proved on Dec. 17. The thief visited the City and Suburban Federal Savings Bank at 1404 Second Avenue just before 11 a.m. But rather than do anything prosaic, such as handing Read More

By Ralph Gardner Jr. 7/21/03 12:00am

Crime Blotter

Zeal Gets the Better

Of Broadway Bookseller

It’s always sad to see another independent bookstore go out of business, though not, perhaps, the one the cops shut down at 73rd Street and Broadway on July 3. If you’re unfamiliar with the bookstore at that location, that’s because the establishment in question was of the Read More