The Galleria at 117 East 57th St

We just purchased an apt there. We love the location and that was the reason for the buy. We wanted to walk out our door and be close to many things NY have to offer. We spent 3 years looking at apts and realized we would not be getting everything on our wish list. We really love the services this apt provides. I know there are not any grocery stores close but with delivery services I did not mind that. We are updating our apt, it does need some work. I think you would love the building. Everyone that works in the building is very friendly and very helpful. You got to love that roof top! Good luck hope this helps.

The Gastineau Girls lived there!

Susan - thank you for the reply! It sounds like you and I have similar priorities - willing to accept an older building in a neighborhood lacking some residential amenities, in order to be close to shopping, restaurants, Central Park, many subways, museums, and so on. The neighborhood feels more exciting than the UES, while being more upscale than the neighborhoods to the south (Murray Hill, Kips Bay).

A couple specific questions if you dont' mind: Is it possible to get into the gym without going outside? Does the gym have special rates for building members? What other services and features are in this building that you really like, aside from doorman, super, roof deck? Which other buildings in this area did you consider?

Michael - Wow, that's funny! I didn't know that. In other Galleria celebrity news, the magician David Copperfield lives in the penthouse, and, tragically, this is also the building where Eric Clapton's 4-year-old son fell from a window to his death.

Thanks very much for your input, guys... Really appreciate it.

next year whole food will open on 57 st, between 2nd and 3rd avenue.

In answer to your question. Yes there is a special elevator for apt owners that take you right to the gym. There is a special rate for us. Depends on the type of membership you want, but very inexpensive.
We live there part time so I love that they have a cleaning service on site that I can call that will clean the apt before we arrive. (You can usually request the same person). I also like the valet laundry service on site for the same reason. We can leave towels and sheets and have them delivered to the apt. Although we are putting a washer and dryer in the unit, but still will use the service. I love that I can go up to the roof deck in the mornings and be served coffee or tea and read the paper. They have a drink service for the residences all day long.

We looked at many buildings, we looked from 57-72 st on the ues, between, madison, park and 3rd.( did not want to be further than 3rd) and on the uws side we looked from 60th to around 70th not any further than broadway. We liked the Millenium on the west, but the apts were so small. We almost made an offer on the 205 East 59th , but went with the Galleria instead. . We did look at coops, but condos were a better option for us. I would say we looked at most condos in both of those area. Our price range was 1.7 for a two bedroom so we were limited to some building.

Feel free to ask me anything else. Hope this helps.

I know there are some other interesting people that live there. They are not suppose to say, but sometimes you can get the doormen to tell on the sly.

Susan - Thank you so much for your informative and prompt reply. The cleaning service, valet, and beverage service on the roof deck all sound great. I am also looking for a 2-bed and my max is around 1.7 mil as well. I've been browsing listings online for 205 East 59th, 207 East 57th, 211 East 51st... But the Galleria's location is tough to beat. I will probably start viewing apts in person next month, and I'm sure I will have more questions after that. It would be great to compare notes with you since you are a recent buyer. Thanks!

EB124 - Thank you for pointing out the coming Whole Foods location. Their website now says "coming in 2013" (https://wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/fiftyseventhst/)... Hopefully with the worst of the finance/real estate crisis behind us, it will proceed with no delays. Given all the luxury buildings in the neighborhood and no competition, I bet this will be a very profitable location for them.

diablo and susan: Welcome to the neighborhood.

The Dag on 1st Ave is a short walk. The Whole Foods building is going up at a good pace.
"Crush" wine store (E.57th near Third.) has a great selection and they have tastings on Friday eves.
"Aries Nail" (right off 57th St. on Lex.) is the best mani/pedi in the area.
Good bagels and appetizing at the bagel store on Second Ave. (They deliver).
Good Chinese food at Shanghai Garden (E.55th between Third/Lex. they have very fast delivery.)

Diablo- you are welcome. Would love to know where you end up. Good luck with your search.

Truth- thanks for the welcome to the neighborhood. Any other suggestions for restaurants ect please let me know. We love neighborhood restaurants. We try to stay away from the chain restaurants and the high priced ones, you can do that anywhere. Heard the Borders on Park and 57th is going leaving so hopefully, something good will go there.

You're welcome (literally), Susan.

If you like Indian food: "DarBar Grill" on E. 55th between Third and Lex. Nice place, weekdays happy hour 5pm-8pm. They also deliver.

Nice coffe shop on Second and the corner of 55th. (they deliver).

Oh, and Borders is having a going out of biz sale, starting today.

Hair salon: "Wave " On Second & 56th.

"Picnic on 57th" Prepared foods by the lb. (Phillip is the manager). They deliver, as do the following:

"Pizza Certe" on 56th off Lex. (They use only locally-sourced ingredients.)
"Glaze Teriyaki" on Lex. near 54th. (part of a limited national chain, just opened recently.)
"Hamilton Creative Salad & Sandwich Shop" on Second btn.56th and 57th. (just opened a couple of weeks ago. The best deal in the area. If you go in, Mike the manager will give you a gold "11th purchase free card".
And, if you need some chicken soup at 2am, call "Sherwood To Go" #212-644-5616

That nice coffee shop on Second and 56th is called the "Plaza Diner" open 24hrs. They deliver (but not past 7pm)

As for neighborhood restaurants, most are at least mid-high-priced.
I'll post a list of my faves when I get some time this week.

Fresh Direct delivers all over the city...online supermarket, fabulous!

I've never tried Fresh Direct.
I have a big batch of delivery menus. I'm not home in town often enough to do a big grocery shopping every week, I pop into Dag on First Ave. whenever. Mostly to stock up on "Newman's Own Iced Green Tea with Honey, his lemonades and iced-tea.

Great feedback, Truth, thank you. It's good to know there are reasonably priced, "neighborhood-y" places around the area, and not just the expensive stuff like Tao, Rouge Tomate, BLT Steak, Joel Robuchon... Those are great, but you need to have daily "go-to" places as well.

Susan, I will keep you posted. Your comments definitely moved this building up to near the top of my list. Thanks.

"Cafe Loup" on Second Ave btn. 58th&59th. Small and homey.Delicious specials.

correction: it's on First Ave.

Truth and diablo, this info has been great. I will be in NY the beginning of March and will check these places out. Our apt will not be ready until June, we are making many changes so will only be visiting a couple times between now and then. Have already started making my list. Good to know I can get chicken soup at 2am, love that. I still check streeteasy everyday, so whenever you think of something just post it. Thanks again, and again good luck to you Diablo.

O.K. Susan.
Chicken soup 24/7 from Sherwood to Go.
Midtown Diner on 55th btn Third & Lex., open 24/7, too. They deliver.

If you want to go out for a cocktail in a nice place: Go to the upstairs lounge of Le Colonial.
(on 57th. btn. Lex. and Third. Not inexpensive, but very nice. The food is great there too, if you like that pan-asian thing). It's been there a long time. Very nice.

Stay away from the local sushi places. Not quality fresh sushi.
Take a short walk over to Nobu57 (btwn 5th Ave. and Sixth)
My friend, Drew Nieporent owns it, as well as the Crush Wine Store.(full disclosure. I can get you a reservation there and/or at the original Nobu in Tribeca. Drew also owns "Heartbeat" in the W Hotel on 50th St.&Lex., for those who need/want to eat a low-sodium healthy foods diet.

Buy your drugstore items at Bed Bath&Beyond on First Ave.&60th St.
Large selection, prices at least 2-3 dollars off the price for the same at Duane Reade and CVS.
Go to those stores only for 24/7 purchases.

Between BB&B,and the Home Depot at Third btn 58th& 59th ( for toilet paper/ paper towels, cleaning supplies; you are good to go for those items,and more.)
Go to the Staples store on Park Ave. btn 56th&55th to stock up on Poland Spring water bottles by the case. They deliver, but why pay for that? Get a small grocery wagon at BB&B, and buy and bring it home.

You are new to Manhattan,so it's good to know there's a great tailor down in the East Village on E 7th St. that I've been going to for years. You can just hop on the downtown Lex. or Second Ave. bus to get there. His prices for all alterations are very reasonable. He also does custom work. Just bring him a photo. He will tell you how much fabric will be needed. There are great fabric stores downtown, too.

On Third and E 10th St. is Village Cheese (cash only, but a wide selection of cheeses, much more.)

Truth- thank you so much for all of your information. This is a great help. You seem to have hit on all of the things I love! I do love Indian food and my daughter and I are going to try that place when I am there in March. I have a notebook started with all of these great suggestions and I will be trying them all.

You will like DarBar a lot, Susan. The bartender, Elizabeth is very friendly. She makes great non-alcoholic drinks that are very tasty and refreshing. They go well with the Indian food. Try the salmon.

For great Kosher food:"Yummy Yummy" on Lex.btn 55th&56th.Good falafel.
Across the street is the Kosher Kitchen. (both closed on weekends).

La Baguette just opened, a few doors down: The best place for breakfast. Great baked-goods Main courses and Tex-Mex specials. Soup, salads, pastas. And -- they deliver ($7 minimum. Open from 5am - 12 midnight.).

That's a good idea to keep a list handy, try them all.

"somewhereelse" posts on SE. He once posted a list of the items he buys at Trader Joe's. I'd never been in there, so I printed his comment out and took it there with me. I shopped that list, and everything was really good. If you've never been there, it's a nice outing over to E.14th St. Take the Lex. Ave. bus downtown to 14th St. You can get a cab back home. Take the somewhereelse list with you.

La Baguette is now the best deal in the area: After 6pm, both the hot and cold salad bar are 50% off.
And they replenish the food throughout the day.

Truth- been out of town and just read the rest of your suggestions. Thanks, I am coming next weekend to look at what has been done with the apt and plan on doing a field trip of the neighborhood and your suggestions. Will let you know how it goes. I am very excited. Am anxious for the apt to be finished so we can start using it often.

Susan: That sounds good. It's going to be your second home? Congrats.
I'm out of town for most of March. When I get back, we may meet at one of those places.
The lady with the notebook list is: susantheteacher!

Hi Susan:
Hope you're having a good time in Manhattan.

When you get hungry: Elizabeth and the staff of Darbar Grill are waiting to welcome you.

Susan: Just ignore alanhart. He's on here(within minutes of my posting that comment) for no other reason than to disrupt our discussion.
He and his gang don't like it when others get along on streeteasy.

Hi All. I went to see an apartment in this building a few days ago, and I can report two major pieces of bad news.

1) THE ATRIUM IS STILL A MESS
It looks like it did this summer, after falling glass from an upper floor came crashing through the atrium's windows. This means they have had ugly scaffolding up, blocking the windows and light, for NINE months. I would hope that they are making progress, but the atrium area appears to be in exactly the same state as it was a few days after the accident.

2) THE GYM IN THE BUILDING IS CLOSED
The New York Health & Racquet Club location in this building is closing permanently. Due to the glass incident (I believe), the pool and outdoor terrace, two of the main attractions, had already been shut down. There are rumors in the building that it will be taken over by a different club, but also rumors that this deal fell through and there is no immediate occupant to take the space.

In light of these facts, I am more reluctant about this building than before. The good points are that the common "sky lounge" and roof decks are beautiful; the hallways and other common areas are quite attractive; there are many staff in the building (one doorman, two guys at the desk, one guy by the elevator, and one guy in the sky lounge when I was there) to help you... And of course the location, which is truly excellent.

If anybody has further information, it would be great to hear it. You guys have all been very helpful so far. Thank you!

diablo, I did not know that the health club will be closing. I am hoping that someone will take it over. I have been told that the scaffolding will be down by the summer. Maybe since we just bought in the building I would be able to find out more information. I can at least put a call into the health club. Sorry you are having second thoughts about the building.

diablo and Susan: I just got back to town.
I hear that special-grade glass is being installed. That's a good thing.

The health club is up for inquiries from existing clubs/gyms. Until one comes in -- you can join one of the many quality health clubs in the neighborhood.

Or, just walk the 3 blocks to Central Park. Walk, run; enjoy and have fun. Spring is almost here.

How is it three blocks to central park? Can you count?

I'm sure the atrium situation will be resolved in the near future... I'm just surprised it has taken so long. Maybe there are safety regulations or something they have to comply with now? Maybe it takes a while to manufacture this "special grade" glass? It is certainly a vast expanse of windows...

The gym is more of a concern for me. Having a gym in the building is a priority for me - I know the same is not true for everyone. I would hope that another club will take over that space, although if NYHRC couldn't make money there, other clubs might be hesitant to give it a try. I heard that this branch was poorly managed, though, so maybe another club will be able to do a better job.

It's still a great building, and still on my list. If these problems have been resolved before it's time for me to "sign on the dotted line", I will give the building a second look.

If you've got any updates about the gym or the atrium, post 'em here! Thanks all.

Truth thanks for the info. I have not had a chance to call NYHRC, I would hope someone would take over. I do agree with diablo about the poor management, I got that feeling when we went in to look at the club. I also wanted a gym in the building when we bought, not that we would use it all of the time, but nice to know it is there. As for the atrium, I know when we spoke to the building management they everything would be finished by the spring. I too as a homeowner would love to see that removed.
Truth you are a great source.

Diablo hope that info from Truth helped, if I get more I will post it.

diablo: Yes, a gym in the building is great, especially in Winter. There are a few smaller gyms that have expanded and those types of businesses will probably be interested in Galleria.

The glass situation has to be inspected by the DOB, every step of the way. Causing delays.

Just walked by on the way to dinner. DOB inspectors are inside and out.
That is a good thing, as the glass is being replaced as the result of an accident.

Any updates on the status of this building? Is the repair work in the atrium complete? Has the gym in the building been reopened?

diablo all the repair work is completed and all boards are taken down. All the hallways have been updated and look beautiful. Still waiting to hear about the gym and who is going to take it over. We are part timers and will be up there on Friday so may have more information for you then.

Any news here on the gym? Also wondering what the restrictions might be regarding use of the residents lounge on the 55th floor? Assume it's possible to entertain there/ host others for cocktails if living in the building. Thanks.

Amd3377 there is still no news on the gym yet. There is a new gym on 59 and Park that opened a couple months ago I think it is New York Health Club, which I was going to look into. You can go out the back way of the building onto 58 so just a block away. As for the resdients lounge. You can always use it for breakfast, lunch or dinner They will serve you etc. You can always go up for cocktails with your guest.
We are part timers but when we are there we use it in the morning for coffee (which they will serve you). We bring guest up in the evenings for cocktails. If you want to have a party there is a charge for the room, because they will close the skylodge for you and your party. Have not done that yet so would have to check that out. Put other than that, you are free to use it anyway you would like.

They are no longer advertising the 8th floor (where the gym used to be) as a health club in the commercial real estate world. That means, unfortunately, there is no gym coming into the building. But I am sure there are plenty of gyms near by- crunch between 58 and 59 on 2nd.
As for parties there is a charge for renting half or full day and it closes at midnight. I don't know cost but I do know there is also a deposit that needs to be put down. There is a butler there for all your party arrangements and it really is a great place to host. You can have up to 8 people and it is not considered a party, however.
Staff is fantastic in this building, and the amenities are wonderful. Just no gym and no close grocery store- but fresh direct is easy!

whole foods is opening one block away I think this coming June. Which will be great for the building.

@midwesternNYer - If they are no longer marketing the health club space - what are they marketing it as? I'm not sure what else that space could be... I considered buying in this building last year, and the uncertainty surrounding the gym/pool was one of my main considerations in ultimately deciding to purchase elsewhere... So I am curious how this will work out. Thanks for sharing whatever you know!

speaking of parties, any good sushi places around, that deliver? or catering ?

EB - just go on Menupages.com

thank you ph, i'll try

Does anyone know about the LOT LINED PROPERTY clause in this building? They say if the next door building trys to build a new construction, certain floors windows need to be sealed and blocked for good.