The Village Voice is giving us an irreverent retrospective of the year in loud protests, observing that “activism replaced bottle service” in the city as Occupy Wall Street made grassroots activism cool with its loud and showy encampment that was impossible to miss for anyone in downtown NYC. Walking around the area was a surreal experience during the protest, as the pedestrians in the area had a remarkably different look and feel to the norm of the neighborhood. The Voice goes on to observe:

The marchers stomped against financial institutions all over the city—and ultimately, the world—while the OWS home base at Zuccotti Parkbrought back a ’60s-ish rebel-yelling community, complete with old-style folk singers, fringed ponchos, and new-style celebrity drop-ins.

The hypocrisy and absurdity of the event hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Voice’s writers either, who remind us that Alec Baldwin has played both sides of the fence by supporting OWS while shilling for Capital One as their spokesman. New York City has had its fair share of champagne socialists over the years.

The OWS movement is mobile and ensconced in more heated digs now that the police tore down the encampment, and Zuccotti Park still has some radicals hanging about the place, although not as much as in the heydays of November. If the economy doesn’t improve soon, we might find yet another show against income inequality in the new year after the ice thaws and flowers start to bloom. Spring is a lovely time for rallying cries.

There are a number of reasons for this, but one big driver is international buyers. Amongst the major cities in the world, New York City retains its crown as the most important financial and cultural hotspot, and the bragging rights that a NYC pad affords foreign investors cannot easily be duplicated in other major cities. Thus it is no surprise that Russian buyers are snapping up properties in the city.

Additionally, new visa rules that allow foreigners visas if they invest $500,000 or more in the American economy is encouraging more wealthy immigrants to come to the United States, and what better place to come to than New York City?

The market for luxury properties is quickly becoming a seller’s market, as properties in the Time Warner Center are starting to sell for over $10,000 per square foot. With Central Park at the property’s door as well as a luxury shopping center and midtown just a short jaunt away, there is plenty of reason for this Columbus Circle property to be in high demand with high flyers.

Will property prices continue to rise? The sky is the limit for the city’s skyscrapers, and even as the American economy struggles, the property market in NYC is giving investors ample opportunity to make money in the city’s real estate.

Despite my nostalgic affections, even I cannot support the preservation of 135 Bowery.

The building, pictured above, has been endangered for a while now, and according to Curbed, the City Council will hold a public hearing to see whether the building should be designated a historical landmark and worth preserving. This is after the Landmarks Preservation Commission had already decided to protect the building back in June.

The building owner, who happens to be First American International Bank, is asking for an exemption based on “economic hardship”. It’s difficult to sympathize with the economic hardship of any bank these days, but the city council has decided to hear them out. I don’t expect them to win.

The Federal style red-and-white building was built in 1817 and was once a gambling hall. It was briefly for sale for $6.5 million, a decent price for the location. However, the interior left much to be desired, as the picture shows.

Whether the building is restored, replaced, or raised, I hope someone occupies the address soon. Just north of Bowery and Grand, the building is at the edge of the ever-dwindling Little Italy in an area that is bustling and popular, and deserving of another good tenant.

There’s no need to spend $6.5 million on a contentious abandoned building when there are hundreds of condominiums across the city for much less–If you would like to find out more simply enter your information in the box on your right and a rock star real estate agetnt will get in touch with you today.

Richard Belzer's terrace overlooking the Hudson, now for sale alongside many other celebrity homes

The New York Daily News has just announced that ”Law & Order’s” Richard Belzer’s apartment is on the market for a low $2.9 million. The Daily News speculates that this may be because Richard Belzer and his wife are spending more time in their villa in southern France, leaving them less motivation to keep their four bedroom pied-a-terre at 60 Riverside Drive. The property is gorgeous, with a west-facing balcony overlooking the Hudson and an ensuite master bathroom, as well as traditional finishes throughout.

There seems to be a rash of celebrity homes for sale in Manhattan. Just recently, Isabella Rosellini decided to leave the city and Victoria Secret model, recent mother, and Orlando Bloom’s wife Miranda Kerr has been trying to sell her Flatiron digs for over half a year. Other celebrities are coming to the city, like Jennifer Aniston, who’s planning to make the city her primary residence after selling her Beverly Hills home.

What can explain the rush in celebrity home sales? There are a number of market factors as well as developments in the entertainment industry. For one, New York City has seen a surge of movie and television productions as the city’s rejuvenation and gentrification have made it more prominent in America’s consciousness.

More than this is the fact that filming on-site has begun to replace the Hollywood studio sets in a big way. The competition between states and countries to attract filming crews has resulted in many tax breaks for film productions all over the country and the world. With filming increasingly on site and the filming industry becoming less centralized, there’s little reason for celebrities to stay in L.A., but the cultural attractions of New York City such as Broadway will be an attraction to celebrities for a while still.

Celebrities will never forget Los Angeles, but they’ll never leave New York City either. The history, architecture, and amenities of the city are going to guarantee that celebrities come back to the city, even if we lose Richard Belzer to the French coast.

With their typical cynical humor, many New Yorkers are already making fun of their response to the quake, which is getting its own reviews on Yelp.com. My favorite is by Victor R., whoever he is:

- 5 Stars for being my 1st….that’s Earthquake (get your mind out of the gutter).

- 5 Stars for scaring me shit crazy, even if you did last only for about a minute….now where have I heard that before (get your mind out of the gutter).

- 1 Star for making us look like chumps to our Cali counterparts and transplants.*

*If you’ve figured it out by now, then yeah us NY’ers don’t like looking like chumps

Yeah…stop making us look like chumps, natural disasters!

This isn’t surprising at all. Some investors have shied away from uptown, because the rest of Manhattan has seen higher rent increases than uptown, as the WSJ reports. This has kept prices from going up as much as they have in the midtown and particularly downtown areas, where demand has far outstripped supply and seems to be on track to do so for years to come.

At the same time, more recent increases in rent uptown have made it a prime investment opportunity, especially considering the fact that vacancy rates are staying low. Demand for rentals has surged so much that concessions to renters are starting to disappear, as reported by Business Week.

What makes this particularly interesting is that Business Week is reporting sluggish sales figures for co-ops and condos in the city, which directly contradicts the WSJ report and our own experience. While it is undeniable that the market slowed in 2009 and 2010, it seems that the sluggish sales are a thing of the past. The increase in rent and slowdown of new development construction has caused a severe decline in inventory that is already driving prices up in Manhattan Valley, and will continue to do so in the rest of the city.

We maintain that now is an ideal time to buy, whether it is an investment or a personal home. I personally have just purchased my own co-op in the city, because I believe so strongly in the strength of the NYC property market. Already I’m earning dividends; I am going abroad for a three-month project, and I wanted to rent out my apartment. It took less than 24 hours for me to rent my place out at the price I asked–which was exactly in the median for my neighborhood.

I cannot recommend enough buying a piece of Manhattan for your very own. If you are interested in taking a look at what is available in your price range, give Condodomain a call at 1-877-852-6636 or have a look on the website.

I liked Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, even if it had the eminently annoying Shia LaBeouf in an equally annoying do-gooder, wide-eyed innocent role that is about as realistic as a Looney Tunes skit (anyone who has spent any time on Wall Street knows that young men eager to fund alternative energy projects that will save the world are not working on Wall Street). The mantra “greed is good” took over Wall Street far too severely for exceptional innocents to be let in the club.

But I digress. The movie’s cartoonish depiction of a good young banker and the evil, selfish men of the establishment is made a tad more complex by Gekko, whose own role in the movie is what saves it (in case you haven’t seen it, I won’t spoil it for you). Needless to say, prison changed him–at least a little.

One of the best parts of the movie–besides the hyper-dramatic retelling of a severe financial crisis–was the elegant cinematic depiction of downtown Manhattan, and that includes plenty of real estate porn. The apartment shared by Shia LaBeouf’s character and his girlfriend (who just so happens to be Winnie Gekko, Gordon’s daughter) is a luxurious masterpiece, so it was bound to fetch a luxurious price when it was put on sale earlier this year. It has finally sold for $15 million, which is a bit higher than it should fetch for the area (the Flatiron district, which is one of the most convenient neighborhoods in the city, being squarely in between downtown, midtown, Chelsea, and the East Village).

Many other properties are available in the Flatiron district, and it seems that their prices just might be going up soon, so give one of our agents a call at 1-877-852-6636 or visit us at our website today!

The machines are so big and the process is so laborious that the machines themselves are extremely worn by the end of the project–so worn, in fact, that the MTA has decided to bury one of the machines underground and seal it with concrete at the end of the tunnel, which they claim is cheaper than trying to scrap the machine itself. What an interesting site to see for archeologists in a few thousand years.

The Cloisters Museum and Gardens are thirty minutes from Midtown, but feels like a step back into time. It’s location is Fort Tryon Park at the top of a grassy hill. This medieval backdrop has been used for outdoor Shakespeare plays in the past.  With views of the Hudson River, guests can explore not only the museum, but also its lush gardens.

If you really want to get lost in a garden, there’s no place better than to do it at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx. With ongoing exhibitions, classes, and seminars–this garden offers more than just a nice, peaceful day; although you can get that here as well. As one of New York City’s historical gardens, New York Botanical Garden gives something extra to visitors and residents.

If you’re in Central Park, there are many outdoor areas that are filled with greenery. However, there is also the Conservatory Garden which is broken up into three styles; French, Italian and English. The northern French-style features seasonal displays in spring and autumn, the Untermyer fountain, and Three Dancing Maidens sculpture.

The central Italian garden showcases a large lawn surrounded by Crabapple trees, a jet fountain, and a beautiful walkway with the names of the original thirteen states written on medallions.

The southern English garden houses a bronze statuary fountain with a boy playing a pipe to attract birds and a girl giving them water to drink. It also encompasses seasonal trees and flowers.

If you don’t mind the trip, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a must see almost any time of the year. There’s so much to do and see with gardens and collections, workshops, and events happening throughout the year. It’s no wonder that so many people choose to have their weddings here, with all of the natural beauty that surrounds visitors.

Whichever garden you like the best, we’re always here to help you find a home that’s not too far away from one of these gorgeous gardens. Call 877-852-6636 to speak with a representative today!

Developments at 113 E. 90th street have been particularly newsworthy, because the property had been the home of the Allan Stone Gallery for the past 16 years. The gallery had been a stunning space full of contemporary art that appealed to traditional tastes, and it had been a popular place for residents of the neighborhood to stop by.

Those days are coming to an end. The New York Daily News is reporting on the recent sale of the building for $9,875,000 after it had originally listed at over $11 million. This is significantly higher than many townhouses in the area, largely because of its architecture and beautiful back garden. The townhouse had been the property of Allan Stone for sixteen years, and he had lived above his gallery with his family until his death in 2006. His daughter Claudia remained the manager of the gallery.

Before it was a gallery, it had many other purposes. In the 1880s it was a fire station, with horses living in a stable behind the property. Firefighters lived on the second floor. The double doors in the front had served as an exit for the fire trucks, and had been masterfully restored by Stone.

Long after it was a firehouse, it became the headquarters of the American Alpine Club until Stone bought the property in the early 1990s. The three-story building included an option to build a fourth story (a rare opportunity for townhouses in the city), and the new owners will have the opportunity to cater the garden landscaping to their tastes. According to the seller’s agent, the undisclosed buyer intends to use it as a single-family home.

Would you like to see some townhouses yourself? Come take a look at our properties on offer or call one of our agents at 1-877-852-6636 for an immediate consultation!

Photos courtesy of Corcoran