Perk Check

At MiMA, the gym and dog runs deliver. But the catering kitchen is a puzzler.

By Polly Mosendz  | April 2, 2014 - 9:59AM
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Each week, our intrepid Perk Check correspondent Polly Mosendz surveys those who live in New York's most amenity-laden buildings to find out which extras are actually useful and which ones barely get a try. 

The building: MiMA, 40 West 42nd Street

What you'll pay: Rentals available now range from a studio for about $3,525 a month to a two-bedroom for $9,995 a month. There's a monthly membership fee for the amenities listed below that's $100, or you can pay $1,000 for the year upfront.

Amenities: Concierge, doorman, pool, Equinox fitness center, lounge, casual club room, formal club room, catering kitchen, terrace, room, lawn, game room, tech center, dog city, bike storage, basketball court, valet, dry cleaning, parking, Internet café, storage, technology concierge, barbeque grills, screening room.

Ones that cost extra: Catering kitchen, valet, private use of the club room, bike room, parking 
 
Which amenities do you use? 

Sergey: Everything. The Equinox gym is the best, the game room is really fun—none of my friends have that—and the lawn is so fun for movies. My bulldog is all about the dog run. 

Ryan: Just the doorman really, I don't spend much time in the building. 

Emmie: I use the workout gear, and the terrace, but I don't think I'd even want to use the grills or movie room—seems kind of weird and dirty. 

Which do you never use?

Sergey: I guess the catering kitchen? I’m not sure what I’d use it for. Maybe if I throw a big party one day, but I just haven’t found a use for it.

Bill: Same. I don’t know what a catering kitchen does. I don’t think I’ve used the basketball court either, but I could see myself playing if there was a building league. 

Ryan: Most of them I guess? I guess if I had more time, I would use the gym, or if I had my car parked here, I'd use the valet. But I would never use the catering kitchen or club rooms or tech rooms. 

Emmie: The tech concierge. Is that a poor man's genius bar?  

Anything surprise you?

Sergey: I met a ton of people through the dog run, that was surprising but great. Dog friends and people friends. 

Bill: Not really a surprise, but I am blown away at how nice our gym is. 

Emmie: The gym is really nice, exceptional really. That was surprising. 

Did the amenities draw you to the building?

Sergey: Definitely. For this price, I wanted all of the luxuries.

Bill: It was a combination. I work in the Bronx so I wanted to be near all the trains, but I also wanted a cool building.

Ryan: I wanted to live in this area, and there aren't any other nice buildings too close, so I ended up here. 

Emmie: They helped. 

Related:

New York by Gehry residents: wild about the workout spaces but lukewarm on the interior design tips

Amenities: icing on the real estate cake 

The technology concierge...and 6 other amenities we'd like to see

What matters more: location or amenities?

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