Manhattan Monday

- Real estate bust? What bust? A few blocks from me, a billionaire just paid $150 million for a condo, nearly double what has ever been paid for a Manhattan residence. He gets 30,000 square feet at about $5000/sq. ft. But hey, it comes with maid service.

- Also now available on the Upper East Side, the world's most expensive dessert: $25,000 for the "Frrrozen Haute Chocolate" at Serendipity 3. The ingredients, via Gothamist: "28 different cocoas and five grams of edible 24-karat gold, served in a goblet lined with edible gold. It’s consumed as conspicuously as possible with a gold spoon decorated with white and chocolate-colored diamonds and is crowned by an 18-karat gold bracelet with 1 carat of white diamonds. Both the spoon and bracelet are intended for the diner to keep, along with a vastly over-inflated sense of social status."

- Cable host James Lipton charged with being annoying. Verdict: extra guilty.

- Village Voice co-founder, six-time husband, one-time wife-stabber and heterosexual author Norman Mailer, dead at 84. Gore Vidal spotted dancing.

- Coming soon: No need to run down and check the sign, Manhattan's parking rules will go online. Of note: Temporary parking restrictions due to movie filming will not appear on the site. Sorta related: You can now subscribe to Port Authority text messages advising about traffic on the Hudson River crossings. Which you'll receive in New Jersey. Where it's illegal to use electronic devices behind the wheel.

- Some straight guy saw the "girl of his dreams" on the subway, and created a webpage about her, mentioning her rosy cheeks and braided hair. Turns out, she wasn't Wendy.