"Aspire Higher"

Today I went to an open house at the 500 Fourth Avenue apartment building, which offers "a new higher level of quality and value for the South Slope". These open houses are very tightly controlled events, and I'm sure I was unconvincing as a prospective buyer.  I think I got the cursory version of the tour, but I did get to hear about the concierge service (no problem getting tickets for Broadway shows!), the $300 per month parking opportunities,  & the Cold Room on the ground floor where the concierge could store my Fresh Direct deliveries until I was ready to pick them up.  I saw the gym, and of course, the suede paneled lobby.  I got shown one apartment on the seventh floor, with glitzy bathrooms ("Lagos Gold honed limestone walls with accents of Mosaic Toffee"), & a rather fabulous view, but was NOT ALLOWED on the balcony (grr).  Nor would my hostess let me visit the groovy Club 500 lounge, with its adjacent landscaped terrace.  Damn. She did let me take photographs through the apartment windows, but they did no justice at all to what I saw.  So here's a blurry might-hurt-your-eyes sort of shot instead. I kind of like it.