Empire State of Mind

New York has become a billionaire boomtown with starchitects providing the ultimate in luxury living, writes Richard Warren

f i can make it there, then I’m gonna make it anywhere,” crooned Frank Sinatra in his salute to the city that never sleeps. Not only do budding entrepreneurs, artists and others seeking fame and fortune head to New York City, but also those who’ve already made it big—because this is a place where they can meet others like themselves, do business and enjoy the best in culture and entertainment.

Imagine a map of Manhattan Island, the long, thin strip of land that the Netherlands ceded to Britain in exchange for the Spice Islands 400 years ago. Three-quarters of the way down the island, just below Central Park, is Midtown, where an extraordinary social phenomenon is taking place—the creation of a community of international super-rich. The development reflects New York’s status as joint capital of the world alongside London, and partially results from the wall of money moving out of China and other fast-growing economies into politically stable locations.

For the past decade, New Yorkers have referred to a strip of 57th Street roughly parallel with Central Park a couple of