Long Island City Vista

Here is another view of the Pepsi-Cola sign (middle of the photo) in Long Island City. Click to enlarge the photo and you will also see the Queens Borough Bridge and the ConEdison Power Plant chimneys. The building on the right is one of the new condominiums that are sprouting up all over the neighborhood.

So would you ever live in a condominium or do you prefer a house with a back yard?

Converted Co-op Building

I have posted a photo of this former police department a couple months ago. It is now a luxury condominium in downtown Manhattan, near Chinatown. The first time I walked by it, I thought it was a public building so I walked into the lobby. The doorman told me it was a private residence so I was not allowed to take photos of the inside.

I wonder what it would be like to live in that clock tower with all the windows. Would it be like a movie scene where you can see the clock from the inside of the building?

So have you ever been up a clock tower or a light house?

West Village Rooftop

Here is a photo of the West Village rooftop from yesterday. Technically, it belongs to the co-op residents so everyone in the building can use it for entertainment. My friend who lives in the building has her own area that is adjacent to this one.

The red building on the upper right corner is The Archives, which used to be the U.S. Custom Office but now has been converted into a luxury condominium. The most famous (or infamous) resident at The Archives (recently) was Monica Lewinsky, post Clinton scandal. She hid out in that building for a couple of years but I'm not sure if she still lives there.

So who is the most famous or infamous person you know?

Christmas Tree @ Trump Tower

This Christmas tree sits in front of a 5-storey waterfall at the atrium of Trump Tower. The building, completed in 1983, is located on 56th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan and was one of the first luxury condominiums built in the city.

Prior to that, the most desirable and luxurious properties in the city were coops. Condominiums were considered "middle class housing" although middle class in Manhattan is not middle class at all. In addition, coop properties provide owners with stricter control over who can and cannot purchase an apartment in the building.

With that, I want to wish everyone:

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year