There's plenty to do in Midtown Manhattan -- New Yorkers know that, and so do the tourists who throng to the luxury shopping on Fifth Avenue and such tourist mainstays as St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Empire State Building, and everything in between. In short, most Manhattan residents and Manhattan visitors think of Midtown Manhattan in the same way: a nice place to visit, shop, and eat, as well as work or take photos, depending on whether you're arriving from within NYC or without. The proliferation of new construction luxury hotels in midtown Manhattan reflect its status as a tourist hub, but those hotels have a secret. Well, two secrets, if you count the secret hamburger joint inside Le Parker Meridien. But the secret that's more important for those browsing Manhattan condo listings, though, is this -- midtown luxury hotels such as Cassa NYC and The Centria are also home to some stunning new construction condominiums for sale. Hotels with residences for sale are nothing new in Manhattan real estate, but what's most striking about these midtown luxury condos is the way in which they've helped change the face of this neighborhood -- and make a very nice place to visit into an increasingly nice place to live.

We say it seemingly every day: the statistics all indicate that the market for NYC condos is better than it has been in a long time, and improving every quarter. And yet, as you surely know if you've even walked past a newspaper over the last year or so, people in this world -- and in New York City -- are pretty hacked off. About... well, name it. Fantastically irresponsible, totally trumped-up real estate scandals that play loathsomely to the smallest-minded among us? Yeah, we've got that. But there are legitimate causes for concern in this world and city of ours, and the broader uncertainties of the national and global economy are among them. So while we can tell the world, several times weekly, that the Manhattan condominium market is going strong and that NYC condos remain a really great investment, it stands to reason that a city that's even more on edge than usual, people are a little more jittery about buying an apartment. Or it could be that people are just kind of difficult. At any rate, according to The New York Times, brokers, sellers and buyers have entered a new era of contentiousness. To which we at the New Construction Manhattan blog would like to say, without qualification or any quantitative evidence: nice try, but no.

It's sometimes said that Manhattan luxury condominiums sell themselves, and a trip through our Manhattan condo listings will surely bear that out for a few NYC apartment buildings. But it's just an expression, finally, and most NYC luxury condos -- even the best of the best -- don't necessarily sell themselves. Yes, the Manhattan apartment market is surging, but with real estate watchers concerned about a double dip in the housing market and the local and national economies still sputtering, the investment of money and confidence required in buying a Manhattan condominium is no small thing. In reality, most NYC condos require no small amount of selling, which is where price cuts come from, among other things. Recently, developers have hit upon a new -- and, for once, very factual and very useful -- new marketing tool. That would be the approval of the Federal Housing Administration.

There are various reasons why condo prices generally go up the higher the elevator climbs -- Manhattan views, distance from Manhattan street noise, Manhattan views, generous helpings of natural light, and Manhattan views. But while it's generally accepted that NYC condos climb in price by floor level, the question of just when the prices go up -- and just where -- is one that's a bit less clear. In The Real Deal, Matthew Strozier does his best to crack the code of NYC condo prices by floor. What he found will... actually probably not surprise you all that much if you've ever paid much attention to Manhattan real estate. But it is interesting to see what Strozier came up with.