ver lunch with Century Properties, Inc.’s Ambassador Joey Antonio, his wife Hilda, and their sons Jigger and Marco, as well as their interior designer, Chat Fores, and creative director, GP Reyes, at the Gramercy Resi- Odences showroom at the Pacific Star Building on Gil Puyat Av- enue, I felt literally transported to New York City. The showroom alone was an eye-popper, despite its artistic restraint and effort- less as apparent in the use of neutrals like beige and black. On the far side of the showroom, there was even a mock-up swim- ming pool that looked inviting enough for a dip or even a dive, though I suspected it was all of two feet at its deepest. Inspired by the Gramercy Park in Manhattan, this new P5-billion residential development promises to be the centerpiece of the Antonio’s vision for Century City, a P40-billion real estate revolu- tion to rise over 3.4 hectares right at the heart of Makati. I know that the phrase, “the heart of Makati” has been overused and often not precisely, but the Antonios are truly building Century City not in the outskirts or the previously undeveloped periph- eries of the finance district, but in the very hub of it, right on Kalayaan Street. Already, creative director GP Reyes has coined a term to describe this part of Makati once Century City is up and running (skyward into the future): MoMa or Modern Makati. Very New York, indeed! But more than achieving another real estate coup, the vision of Century Properties, whose 21 year track record of excellence, as proven through landmark buildings like Essensa East Forbes, is to bring city living to the next level, bringing Manila up to par with cities like New York by creating something worthy of Filipino pride. .