Design and creativity still matter (although NYC seems less and less like the rest of the US these days)

“Normally, the farther you get from the subway the less expensive the housing is,” said Mr. Hammond, who confessed that he rents an apartment in the West Village. “But the closer you are to the High Line, the farther you are from the subway, and still, the closer the apartments are to the High Line, the more expensive they get.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/nyregion/with-next-phase-ready-area-around-high-line-is-flourishing.html?src=recg

(Jon took the photos of a lazy Sunday afternoon at the High Line Park on the blog's recent trip to New York.)