New Construction Manhattan blog readers know that we love Financial District condo listings. This is not entirely because Financial District condos are among the most popular on our site, although that obviously helps, but because condominiums in the Financial District are so unique. In a city that is, for all The New Classics we discussed recently, home to a lot of identikit luxury condominium listings, the apartments for sale in the Financial District stand out because of the architectural distinction of their buildings -- many of them elegant art deco office towers making the switch to condominium (or luxury rental, in some cases). As new condo listings go, therefore, it's generally easier for us to get excited about a new condo conversion in the Financial District than it is over, say, a new construction listing in Murray Hill. (With all due respect to the lovely condo listings of Murray Hill, none of those buildings are National Historic Landmarks, unlike the Cipriani Club Residences) So it's always good news when we can report that another elegant Financial District office building is re-imagining itself as a Financial District condominium. The latest project, as Curbed reports: the stately art deco tower at 119 John Street.

It seems like we spend all our time here at the New Construction Manhattan blog sussing out the shape and size and seriousness of . Which, you know, is reasonable enough of us, given that this is a blog about NYC condos and Manhattan real estate and such. But this fine-grain focus on the present -- and attendant anxiousness to find positive indications for the future in the still-anxious present-day state of Manhattan real estate -- can sometimes limit our perspective somewhat. Not just as regards the recovery, and the search for omens and signs indicating the existence thereof, but to the basic elements of Manhattan real estate itself. All the more reason to enjoy architecture critic Jayne Merkel's piece in the New York Times on the one objective lasting benefit of the last Manhttan real estate boom -- the addition of numerous beautiful and architecturally distinguished new construction luxury condos to the Manhattan skyline. That we have many of those NYC condo listings here at New Construction Manhattan is probably worth mentioning, too, but... anyway, let's get to Merkel.

As good as things have been for Manhattan condo sales over recent months -- and if you're just joining us, the answer is -- the boom in NYC luxury hotels has been that much more notable. A whopping 37 hotels have opened in the city over the past 18 months, and 21 more are slated to open over the next year, and occupancy rates are still at an impressive 93 percent. It has gotten so that it's hard to notice when a new luxury hotel opens its doors, but rest assured that Murray Hill and the Flatiron District are aware that the Gansevoort Park Avenue Hotel will soon be opening at 420 Park Avenue South. As well they should -- the perpetually popping NYC scene at the Gansevoort promises to do a lot to enhance the value of condos such as Twenty 9th Park Madison and Sky House, among other Murray Hill condos.

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 , 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 , 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.

Has it really been almost a month since we last reported on the stupendous ongoing boom in the market for Manhattan condominiums? Well, yes, almost a month ago, but it's not like we haven't talked about it since. We've talked about and the , among other things, but we've always really been talking about one thing: the stupendous ongoing boom in the market for Manhattan condominiums. Today, we would like to talk about...

Those who read the New Construction Manhattan blog with any regularity are familiar with the fact that the market for NYC condos is in the midst of what appears to be after some rough years. Really, anyone who reads about NYC real estate anywhere is probably aware of this -- those years were pretty rough, the rally is pretty impressive, and most everyone who has anything to do with Manhattan apartment sales is happier than they've been in years.

We've previously written about Tribeca Summit, one of the more promising luxury condo listings in Tribeca, here at the New Construction Manhattan blog. We've written about Tribeca Summit both because it's one of the more striking pre-war condominium listings in Tribeca and because it is an exceptionally good source of blog copy -- from to , Tribeca Summit is an interesting building that has the misfortune, as the Yiddish curse goes, to live in interesting times. But while condos continue to sell at Tribeca Summit, its continued willingness/need to reduce prices on its apartments for sale has made it a frequent subject of analysis. Add it all up, as Sandy Mattingly does at his blog Realtown, and you've got a portrait of a very appealing Manhattan condominium listing with some very .

We're in the "writing about Manhattan apartments" business here at the New Construction Manhattan blog, not in the "looking gift horses in the mouth" business. So while we've covered the and for new construction condominiums over luxury co-ops, we haven't really puzzled over the how's and why's of this particular state of affairs. The second quarter NYC apartment sales stats tell us that we're , so let's party -- or at least search Manhattan apartment listings -- right?

Dogs: they're pretty great. So let it never be said that the New Construction Manhattan blog is afraid to take tough stances on the big issues. But as much as we at NCM love dogs -- skateboarding dogs are maybe extra good, but they're all pretty all right in our book -- we know well that Manhattan real estate is not always a pet-friendly zone. While we make a point to make note of pet-friendly condominiums in our Manhattan apartment listings, the fact remains that it can sometimes be difficult to get a dog past a fussy Manhattan co-op board. Given that no one wants to make the choice between the dog they love and the Manhattan apartment of their dreams, it's really the least we can do to offer you, the New Construction Manhattan Reader, a brief guide to getting your dog past a Manhattan co-op board.