Monday, July 30, 2007
Manhattan's 'top-this' luxury condo game
It used to be that a full-service apartment building in New York meant a doorman, a roof garden, maybe a gym. These days, the can-you-top-this amenities include chic screening rooms; covered dog runs; golf simulators where you can practice your swing in front of a screen; wine cellars; bocce courts; rooftop beaches with sand and hammocks; and your own personal "art concierge," to dispense expert advice on what to hang on your walls. With Manhattan's luxury real estate market awash in money from rich foreigners and Wall Street investment bankers with big bonuses to spend, developers are competing hard to attract tenants.