The high life (and the long walk down)

Recently, a neighbor who’s been a longtime renter on the LES hit me with something pretty provocative:

“I will never live in an apartment with floors above me.”

I was caught off guard by the clarity and conviction—but the more I thought about it, the more it made perfect sense. (Clearly, she’d already lived beneath those neighbors. )

There’s a certain magic to the top floor—regardless of the building. Benefits include:

No (or limited) overhead noise
Less street noise
Prestige + bragging rights
Longest elevator ride up
Longest walk down when the elevator breaks
Closest to the shared terrace where Gen Z congregates
Shortest route to the heliport*

*Just making sure you’re paying attention

So, welcome to Tip-Top, a new More For LES series spotlighting top-floor listings across three price tiers:

One Under One — 1BR under $1M
Two Under Three — 2BR under $3M
Three Under Five — 3BR under $5M

Because top-floor inventory is slim, and comps are even slimmer, there’s a clear premium to moving up—both literally and financially—from one bed/bath combo to the next.

Here’s what we’ll be reviewing over the next few posts:

Tip-Top: 1BR Under $1M

• 500 Grand Street #C12D (Studio) — $461,000

• 568 Grand Street #J2004 (1BR) — $849,000

• 475 FDR Drive #L2104 (1BR) — $615,000

Tip-Top: 2BR Under $3M

• 50 Clinton Street #PHC (2BR) — $2,395,000

• 109 Norfolk Street #5 (2BR) — $2,200,000

• 148 Attorney Street #PH (2BR) — $2,395,000

• 105 Norfolk Street #PH (2BR) — $2,995,000

Tip-Top: 3BR Under $5M

• 150 Rivington Street CPENTHOUSE (3BR) — $3,795,000

Which one’s calling your name?