The West Village is a neighborhood of contrasts. The heart of the neighborhood features winding cobblestone streets, quaint bakeries, exclusive boutiques and historic 19th-century row houses (like the Perry St. brownstone that doubled as Carrie Bradshaw's Upper East Side pad in "Sex & the City"). Prices here are among the highest in Manhattan, where "cozy" apartments are among the city's most expensive.

Then there's the nabe's far western fringe, a brand-new neighborhood of luxury developments.

The newly minted Far West Village has emerged as one of the city's most exclusive neighborhoods. It began with Richard Meier's glassy condos at 173 and 176 Perry St., which opened in 2004 and attracted celebs like Nicole Kidman and Calvin Klein, who laid out some $2,000 a square foot for raw space. The condos prompted a wave of luxe development in the area including an even fancier Meier project at 165 Charles St., where a studio sold for almost $1.8 million.

Though it may be a bit of a hike to the subway and amenities, the sunset views and easy access to Hudson River Park -- with its abundance of runners, rollerbladers and sunbathers -- make up for the isolation. And just a few blocks north is the still-white-hot Meatpacking District, where former abbatoirs have been transformed into chic restaurants, nightclubs and shops, including the city's newest Apple store.

TAKE 5

PRICEY DOWNTOWN NEWCOMERS HAVE GREAT EXPECTATIONS

August 28, 2008 -

Blip, what blip? Forget the rest of the housing market, the developers of the most luxurious product in Manhattan are still living in their own little "We're not affected" bubble. A...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$5 MILLION

August 21, 2008 -

In case you thought the hype was over regarding Richard Meier's celebrated glass building at 165 Charles St., you can get excited all over again by this 1,700-square-foot condo. With four...more >

SWINGING AT 15 CPW

August 14, 2008 -

Now that Alex Rodriguez is moving on with his personal life, we hear the Yankee slugger is getting serious about a statuesque, high-priced model across town from his likely-to-be-listed Trump Park...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$18.5 MILLION

August 07, 2008 -

What's better than one historic West Village townhouse? If you said, "two," then, wow, you are really on the ball (and if you said "two for the price of one," we urge you...more >

HOFF THE MARKET

August 07, 2008 -

Philip Seymour Hoffman has a new home in the West Village. The Oscar-winning actor and his longtime girlfriend, costume designer Mimi O'Donnell - who have two children together - have closed...more >

PONY UP

July 31, 2008 -

One of the Hamptons' largest - and best-known - tracts of privately held land is now available for $95 million. Two Trees Farm, the site of the rollicking Bridgehampton Polo Club and its...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$11.7 MILLION

June 26, 2008 -

When someone comes to visit you in this landmark Italianate townhouse and asks to see your garden, you'll be able to smile and respond, "Which one?" The landscaped front and back...more >

HOUSE OF 'VAIN'

June 19, 2008 -

CARLY Simon is making it no secret that selling her West Village co-op is the right thing to do. The legendary pop star is listing her two-bedroom, two-bathroom duplex in a Federal-period...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$699,000

June 12, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 1 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 600 Maintenance: $831 If you're going to go with a "junior" one-bedroom, why not get one with senior-level amenities? This Jane Street...more >

HEIDI, HO!

June 12, 2008 -

Heidi Klum is strutting down a new hallway after selling her West Village penthouse. According to city records, the supermodel/mother of three sold her six-room duplex co-op on Bank Street for...more >

TWIN PEEK

May 17, 2008 -

For the sector of people who care where Ashley and Mary-Kate Olsen went after abandoning their overly reported apartment at One Morton Square, we can now disclose that they're living in a nice...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$4.895 MILLION

May 01, 2008 -

For those who want the "real deal," consider this three-bedroom, three-bathroom prewar corner condo off Greenwich Street. Here, you can kick it "old school," but still have...more >

ACE'S PLACE

April 17, 2008 -

The Mets have made Johan Santana baseball's highest-paid pitcher. But he isn't going hog wild with his $137.5 million, six-year paycheck - at least not just yet. According to...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$980,000

April 10, 2008 -

Bedrooms: 2 Bathrooms: 1 Square feet: 850 Common charges: $569 Ah, yes. The just-shy-of $1 million "starter apartment." Welcome to the neighborhood. That said, this "...more >

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

EYE GUY MARC ENJOYS THE VIEW

April 10, 2008 -

Designer eyewear bigwig Robert Marc pops open a bottle of champagne and passes around a spicy-guacamole dish. We are celebrating his Richard Meier-designed floor-to-ceiling glass apartment on...more >

SUPERSIZE ME

HUGE CONDOS PROVE THAT BIGGER IS BETTER

April 10, 2008 -

Late last year, Wendy Maitland, managing director for Brown Harris Stevens' ID Marketing Group, met with a British interior designer who was looking to buy a New York apartment. Maitland's...more >

'JUNGLE' BROOKE

April 03, 2008 -

Now that "Lipstick Jungle" has been renewed, Brooke Shields is upgrading her Manhattan living situation. The brainy, and leggy, co-star and her husband, producer/writer Chris Henchy...more >

LAKE IT OR LEAVE IT

March 20, 2008 -

Society couple George and Carol McFadden have just sold their sprawling Southampton mansion on exclusive Lake Agawam. The home was listed for $25 million. George McFadden is the general...more >

WEST VILLAGE

$10.75 MILLION

March 13, 2008 -

The brochure claims this four-level, 23-foot-wide townhouse on "quaint" Jane Street will appeal to anyone who desires townhouse living. Um, that sounds pretty logical to us. The modernized...more >