As the weather starts to warm up, many New Yorkers find all they want is to take a cool dip in the comfort of their own pool. However, homes with this luxury can be a rare find in the city. Below are three spectacular properties that allow for homeowners to privately lounge and relax beside the pool.

Where: 105 Chestnut Ridge Road
Asking: $17,500,000
Size: 5-bedrooms, 7-bathrooms
Listed by: Michael Graves

Located in Saddle River, NJ, this state of the art French manor offers the ultimate in luxury and sophistication on 4.4 acres of beautiful wooded land. Complete with an indoor pool with custom infinity tub, this home offers what most New York City properties cannot – space, serenity, and seclusion. (more…)

Penthouse are the epitome of luxe living. They are the crowning residence of a building and their high perch affords them the most spectacular views. When it comes to New York City real estate, acquiring a penthouse home solidifies your place at the top. Below are three listings, each embodying the expected grandeur of penthouse residences.

Where: 310 West 52nd Street, PHA
Asking: $5,950,000
Size: 2,022-SF
Listed by: Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon

When it comes to a home with views it’s hard to top this listing. With floor-to-ceiling windows and an open floor plan, the penthouse at the Link offers scenic views of Manhattan including Central Park and Times Square. As if that wasn’t enough, an adjacent, private terrace allows for panoramic spectating of the city.

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“Water views” in New York City real estate don’t necessarily need to signify a pair of rivers. Check out the view from the One Museum Mile rooftop of Central Park’s Harlem Meer, the man-made lake (”Meer” is Dutch for “lake”) designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. Last night One Museum Mile hosted members of the press for a “Discover Our Neighborhood” panel discussion, followed by a reception at star chef Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster restaurant. Of course, some attendees took some time to admire the views, like New York Daily News real estate reporter Gina Pace, who tweeted the above photo (along with some others). For more tweets and photos, check out the One Museum Mile Twitter page.

Lately we’ve been focused on Central Park as seen from Fifth Avenue, but we can still appreciate other spots that are great for gawking. Sitting on a corner lot with a curved facade featuring floor-to-ceiling panoramic views, 200 Central Park South provides some great looks at Manhattan’s green masterpiece. Unit #15H in the white-glove co-op, listed by CORE’s Tom Postilio and Mickey Conlon, is an oversized 1-bedroom (convertible 2-bedroom), 1.5-bathroom apartment with an amenity to die for: a large balcony with views just above the tree line. It’s a perfect pad for someone who wants stunning vistas without breaking the bank.

This week Curbed published a fantastic map of New York City’s secret gardens, lush green spaces that the average person doesn’t even know are out there to be enjoyed by all. One such place is the Central Park Conservatory Garden, just off East 105th Street in the quiet northeast corner of Central Park. It’s a beautiful spot we’ve become much more familiar with ever since the launch of One Museum Mile, which is located just a few steps away.

The Conservatory Garden, the Central Park website explains, “is divided into three smaller gardens, each with a distinct style: Italian, French and English. The Garden’s main entrance is through the Vanderbilt Gate, on Fifth Avenue between 104th and 105th Streets. This magnificent iron gate, made in Paris in 1894, originally stood before the Vanderbilt mansion at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street.” This photo was taken last month, with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Not a bad place to call home, right?

Photo via Flickr/jmvazquezjr

The buildings on Central Park West are some of the most historic and attractive in the city, dotting the boulevard with prewar masterpieces. While gaining entry into them isn’t always so easy (availabilities tend to get snatched up by buyers very quickly), when these apartments do pop up on the market, they present a great opportunity to get an inside glimpse of their rich history. At 418 Central Park West, built in 1902, we see one of the most attractive entrances facing the park. And the listing, a newly renovated one-bedroom apartment, has oversized windows looking directly at Central Park. Not bad for a price tag that’s well under $1 million.

Photo by Nico Arellano

We know we’ve been talking about our new project, 1280 Fifth Avenue, a lot lately. So today we’ll just show off a little of what we’re so excited about. Here’s a beautiful view of Central Park from the building, including the Harlem Meer (”meer” is Dutch for “lake”), a name that salutes the area’s early settlers. Hidden by the fall foliage near the lower left corner of the photo is the Bernard Family Playground, which enjoys some great views itself. Not bad for a front yard, right?