Wednesday: The City's 25 Priciest Co-Ops, and Bruni's 5 Manhattan 'Misses'

He's #1! He's #1!

• It's been a quarter-century, but legendary DUMBO boy David Walentas has finally returned to Manhattan. The developer just signed a $130 million contract for the east side of Eleventh Avenue between 53rd and 54th. Why? Because he can. (And because when the block's zoning changes, he can put up 1,000 apartment units). (NY Post)
• Bless their hearts, The Real Deal and PropertyShark.com have brought us the best list of 2006: the top 25 New York co-op sales. Not surprisingly, Rupert Murdoch (above) makes it into the top ten twice. Mazel Tov! But guess how many apartments outside of Fifth Avenue, Park, or Central Park West made the cut? Only Mr. Murdoch's old Prince Street pad. (The Real Deal)
• What happens when Pataki's chief of staff gets together with WTC "architects" Daniel Libeskind and Michael Arad, plus the Lower Manhattan Development Corp.'s chairman and the Port Authority's vice chairman? They warn that "New Yorkers might object to the rapid speed of development at the WTC site in the near future." Um, probably not. Meanwhile, Larry Silverstein shouts from his 38th-floor office at 7 WTC: "The fact that this is the only building down here just drives me, candidly, to distraction." (NY1)
• The only thing cattier than the aforementioned co-op list is Frank Bruni's run-down of the hits and misses of Manhattan's new restaurants. Buddakan and Fatty Crab score points, but The E.U. and Ninja do not. Mr. Bruni hisses that "adults with taste buds and a firm tether to mental health" will not enjoy the latter. Oh, Frank! (The New York Times)
• - Max Abelson