Thursday, October 16, 2008

Stuyvesant Town Report Exclusive! Oval Lounge Party Time


A wall of sophisticated plastic pine trees separates the revelers of Oval Lounge from the low-class peons outside.
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We're not sure if either of the Speyers (Jerry or Rob) turned up in this evening's party-time exclusive at Oval Lounge, but we do know who this private party was for. Brokers. Yes, brokers.

So Stuy Town workers and American Leisure sweated their you-know-whats to get everything in order, outside along the Oval and inside the "Essentials," for a bunch of brokers. Not only was the work fierce to get everything reasonably perfect on time, but the presence of security was at an all time high. We counted three security guards in front of Oval Lounge, three more placed between the Lounge and the 14th Street Loop, and two closer to 1st Ave. A security car hovered near the kid playground, not far from the Lounge, and, for sure, other security personnel were at other points in the complex. Added to this was the presence of black attired American Leisure staff, who were placed in front of both playgrounds, undoubtedly to help guide any brokers who should get disoriented in the Stuy Town maze. (Although an Oval is an oval.) Anyway, isn't it nice to know where your landlord, Tishman Speyer, places its security priorities? Not for you, but for brokers. (I'm sure that the very visible security presence was also mandated to impress [fool] the brokers into thinking that Stuy Town actually has such a presence.)

Oh, and we saw security--now hold onto yourselves--actually tell bicycle riders to get off their bikes and walk them through the area around Oval Lounge. So, enforcement of the "no bicycle riding" rule comes only when the brokers, or other hotshots, are in town. Another suitably insulting to tenants priority for Tishman Speyer.

Now, you may be asking why is Tishman Speyer going through all this trouble for a group of brokers if sales of market rate apartments are going very well for TS, which is what TS claims? Good question.

One answer would be that sales are not that good, but another answer could be that TS wants to generate a waiting list (or close to a waiting list), to then raise the price of market rate apartments even higher than they are because, according to the spin, Stuy Town is a hot rental property with many people desperate to get in. So be very glad you could get that one bedroom for $5,000. There's a line in back of you eager to pay $6,000!

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