142 Fifth Ave, 2

Keyed-elevator lofts are swell. However, most direct elevator lofts have one inherent flaw that makes them less than ideal for living. Thankfully the Second floor of 142 Fifth Avenue does not have this flaw, making it a perfect 3 bed/3.5 bath home.

The common flaw in most floor-through lofts is that they only have two natural light sources: the front and the back. This leaves them light-deprived in the middle, which limits the layout choices and bedroom count.142 Fifth #2, on the other hand, has well over 100 ft of oversized windows, flooding the home with sunlight all day and offering almost limitless layout options. The current owners have opted to use the walls of windows to create three oversized bedrooms (two of those have en-suite bathrooms.)This uber-practical layout still leaves abundant space in areas without direct natural light; these darker areas are ideally used for a laundry room, a half bath, and the third full bathroom. But the most clever design choice was to use the central landing between the bedrooms as a media room; after all who wants the glare of natural light when watching your favorite program.

The physical separation of the living and media room also makes it perfect for parties as one group can quietly converse in the living room while enjoying the music coming from the built-in speakers and the bustling city in the background, while the other group can enjoy gaming or watching the tv at a high volume, and the two groups will never burden each other.Although still part of the public space, the dining area and the modern open kitchen are situated ideally between the two "party places," making it ideal for serving both rooms.

An often overlooked fact about Loft living is that the two best floors to live on are the top and second floors. The top floor might have the most natural light and could be combined with the roof to make it a penthouse. But in loft buildings, the second floor always has the highest ceilings (11'9" here) and the largest windows. The second floor also has the most exciting and ever-changing views and this loft being on the North West corner of 19th and Fifth Ave., your living room has a perfect vista of Flatiron life.

Despite these benefits, some still hesitate to consider a second-floor home because of the anticipated street noise through those large windows. Before jumping to conclusions about that, please come for a visit. The glass in these windows has been upgraded with "offsetting thickness," making them far more effective at reducing sound than "City Quiet windows" (and without the visual distraction); the result is a pin-drop quiet loft with exciting views all day.

142 fifth avenue is a small coop with one of the most striking lobbies in the area, situated conveniently near the city's cultural center, "Union Square." Every part of the city is within easy commuting distance from your doorstep. Whether you commute to Wall Street, the UES or the UWS are all equally easy to reach. And even Long Island and Jersey are easy to get to from here.