DIARY OF A CRUISE

50 Central Park West, 9AE

An Exquisitely Renovated Prewar Home

BY LISA LIPPMAN

oday, our homes are tricked out with all of the bells and whistles that one could imagine. Developers, designers, and decorators alike draw inspiration from showhouses and push the limits of each and every trend. Yet, despite the possibility for endless customization, one amenity that remains exclusively unique is the home’s view.

Over the past decades I’ve had the pleasure to work with countless buyers in the City. At the onset, together we create a list of must-have attributes to help refine our search and it is not uncommon for views to be prioritized right alongside location, size, and style of the homes.

Oversized windows that frame sweeping cityscapes, sprawling green spaces, and iconic landmarks set the tone and add character, warmth, and a dynamic energy. These views also contribute to the property’s prominence and price.

At the mid-year mark, the median price for resale apartments that included three bedrooms or more was $2,950,000 and $3,300,000 on the East Side and West Side respectively. However, similarly sized properties along Fifth Avenue and Central Park West, for example, that showcase sky high and park views, generally commanded a premium of at least 20 percent. Each building and in-turn each floor within a building offers a different perspective. The second floor might boast a house like park view, while the fifth floor just starts clearing the tops of the trees, at the eighth/ ninth floor one sees the trees and the City beyond, and on the twentieth floor one can enjoy the full expanse of Central Park bookended by the dazzling City lights. Every view is special, and unique in its own right. P

50 Central Park West, 9AE, is an exquisitely renovated prewar home that features glorious Central Park views from the living and dining rooms, the new open kitchen, as well as the primary bedroom, and library.

About Lisa:

Lisa K. Lippman is the #1 agent at Brown Harris Stevens, an honor that she has held for the past six consecutive years. For more, visit: https:// www.bhsusa. com/real-estateagent/lisalippman

Gabe Leibowitz

The Broker Who Makes You Feel at Home

BY LAUREN BENS

Meet Gabe Leibowitz, a native Manhattanite who’s lived in Brooklyn for the past 17 years and run his own team with Douglas Elliman since 2018. He offers a wealth of residential advisory services and boots-on-theground knowledge to his clients across both boroughs, steeped in his personal mantra of ethics, around-the-clock attentiveness, and a warm, bespoke approach to the industry.

Gabe started his own brokerage at the age of 25, which he ran for a decade before merging with Warburg Realty; there, he annually finished among the company’s top 10 before joining Elliman in 2018. He’s now in his 18th year in the industry, and his team consistently ranks among Elliman’s elite producers. When he’s not pounding the pavement of his city, Gabe—who celebrated 16 years of marriage in July, to his wonderful wife, Francesca—enjoys spending time with his family, which also includes his 12-year-old son and a beautiful standard poodle. Prior to becoming a top broker, he was a film critic and continues to write reviews to this day, one of the many ways he naturally connects to the people he works with!

With endless experience under his belt and countless deals closed over the years (spanning bushels of neighborhoods, clients, customers, and scenarios!), Gabe takes the time to really get to know to know each and every customer and how he can best make their lives a little better. After all, that’s what makes this field so rewarding! You can even check out his admittedly eclectic movie taste at https://letterboxd. com/AragornX151/. P

GETTY Rome, Italy Ileft NYC and landed in Rome at 9:30 a.m. and was met by a sleek, black Mercedes car with a knowledgeable driver from the Hotel Gregoriana. Forty minutes later we arrived at my charming hotel literally 40 paces from the Spanish Steps. Hotel Gregoriana, Rome This intimate four-story hotel housed in a 17th-century former convent has been run by the same family since 1971. Its location is superb, next to the famous Spanish Steps, and within easy walking distance to many of Rome’s other historic treasures, including the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and Villa Borghese. A delightful 30-minute walk through the ancient, cobbled streets will bring you to the Vatican and Castel Sant’Angelo. Hotel Gregoriana’s prime location is in the very center of Rome, but tucked away on a quiet, charming street so you’re not faced with hordes of tourists outside your door.

Suite Number 3

I was thrilled by the ultra-glamorous suite, simply called No. 3, that I was shown to. An inviting sitting room with Art Deco décor opened to an enormous and well-appointed living room with comfortable furniture in shades of light green. The suite included two bedrooms, one spacious with dark wood original Art Deco furniture (that I wanted to take home); one smaller bedroom with a single bed perfect for a nanny or a secretary.But thepiéce de résistancewas the ginormous terrace overlooking the city, with lush plantings of lavender and lemon trees bearing fruit. Because of the heat, I didn’t spend much time on the divine terrace, which is large enough to easily accommodate a cocktail party for 75 people.

Thankfully, the air conditioner at the hotel was powerful enough to keep the suite as close to frigid as you could want. I immediately took a refreshing nap and woke up in time to meet my family, who were staying just down the block at the Hotel Hassler, for drinks before heading out to dinner.hotelgregoriana.it

The Trevi Fountain, Rome

Living Room with Terrace at Hotel Gregoriana

Hotel Hassler

One look at my family’s rooms and I knew I’d made a wise decision, as my accommodations were truly grand and that’s saying something as the Hassler is no slouch and was one of Travel & Leisure’s top five hotels in Rome last year. As I entered the Hassler,Roberto, the son of the recently deceased owner, greeted me as an old friend. The COURTESY OF HOTEL GREGORIANA courtyard with a fountain at the Hassler is a perfect spot for cocktails or its divine breakfast buffet. A green moss wall behind the bar is dotted with ancient statues, making this an ultra-glamorous stop for a glass of Ruinart. We had dinner at a charming spot nearby and, needless to say, the pasta wasperfetto, as was the chateaubriand.Hotelhasslerroma.com Spanish Steps One of Rome’s most famous attractions, the Spanish Steps, were named for the Piazzadi Spagna Spanish square at its base, outside the embassy of Spain to the Holy See. A popular