Letter from the Editor: Where All the Lights Are Bright
July 1, 2006
I always knew I was destined for the city. As a teenager living in a suburb of
Washington, D.C., I would take the Metro downtown with the sole intention of
watching the crowds hustle through Dupont Circle. Their breakneck clip made the
lives they were leading seem miles more important than those of my suburban
parents. Whatever those fast-walking people were up to, I convinced myself, it
was exceedingly important.
I was almost wholly wrong, of course. While it is
true that many Washingtonians have high-powered jobs, the majority of
influential people in the U.S. government lived in the quiet Virginia
neighborhoods surrounding mine.
Still, after all these years, my passion for
the energy and multiculturalism found in cities remains untarnished. After all,
where else but in downtown San Francisco can you get a Korean massage, a case of
Estonian Saku beer and delectable South American cuisine, all on the same block?
And I am certainly not alone in my amour. We are at the beginning of what
appears to be a mass exodus from the suburbs back into cities and towns—call it
the boomerang effect of 50 years of suburban sprawl. And why not? Living in town
puts everything at your fingertips: art, theater, shops and a small planet of
dining options.
In this issue we celebrate the New Urban Living—defined by
those who use the city as a backdrop to live in sumptuous style.
First up:
the urban loft. No longer just for artists, the new breed of loft—which is
enjoying unexpected popularity in smaller cities such as Scottsdale—mixes the
vibe of a downtown apartment with the posh amenities of a Park Avenue pad (see
Lofty Ideas). It was clear that loft living had finally arrived when
the Kor Group, developer of lofts in downtown Los Angeles, announced that its
Eastern Columbia lofts were located “on the corner of concrete and
cashmere.” They may have begun as converted factory spaces, but lofts may
end up trumping the penthouse as the must-have urban model.
Another
trend with legs is the rise of the pied-à-terre, or part-time city residence,
that provides an owner with the best of both worlds: the freedom to stay close
to the city’s entertainment and culture, while maintaining a full-time suburban
or country house.
Also growing in popularity are hotel-condos, or
whole-ownership condos, inside deluxe hotels such as the St. Regis, the Four
Seasons and the Ritz-Carlton. This option is attracting buyers for its
no-maintenance factor—owners of these plush properties enjoy all the services of
a hotel, with the security and benefits of ownership (see Downtown Digs).
Ultimately, whether you are considering a permanent move
into a city, or purchasing a condo or loft as a swanky second home, all three of
these choices will position you very neatly in the heart of the action—the
premier spot from which to people-watch.
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