March 19, 2006

Barack Obama is so charismatic that his greatest challenge has been trying to play down expectations during his first Senate term; Obama's seeming perfection--as gifted orator, award-winning author and proven intellect who was first black president of Harvard Law Review--has become something of political marvel in itself, as Democrats survey landscape of potential presidential candidates and wonder if he is one to lead them back into favor after season of darkness; Obama seems to be balancing need to reduce unrealistic expectations with wish to retain his golden mystique; photos (M)

Gretchen Morgenson column offers reason why stocks in bellwether technology companies such as Intel, Dell and Texas Instruments have been falling even as their revenues and earnings have been rising; says rebound in technology spending by corporations remains elusive and glut of technology gear is putting pressure on prices; graph (M)

THERE he was, Mr. Barry Manilow, looking retro-glam and kinda-fab, splashed across a billboard on my way from the Las Vegas airport to the Mandalay Bay Hotel. Red satin jacket, plenty of hair, dreamy smile. He was playing the Hilton, and I had $1,000 to spend. But on Barry Manilow? I didn't think so. I'm not cool, but cool people tell me the Mandalay Bay is the place to be in Vegas these days. When I arrived, the gleaming marble lobby was already filling with fancy people in for the weekend. Like the other big Vegas hotels, the Mandalay Bay is a destination in itself, a complete entertainment zone, and the briefest perusal told me just getting out of the place might be a challenge -- it has 23 restaurants, 8 lounges, endless shops and an aquarium with 15 kinds of sharks.

Street Level column on mixed reaction in neighborhood to plans for Plaza Hotel; new owners, Elad Properties, has begun marketing 182 luxury apartments, priced from $2.2 million to about $40 million, that will transform rooms on Central Park and Fifth Avenue sides of building into private condos; photo (M)

Article explores question, in light of its recent decision in favor of razing Purchase Building, Art Moderne structure under Brooklyn Bridge, of whether New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission is entering new chapter in its history; city's hot real estate market has spawned more development than at any time in recent memory, Bloomberg administration has embarked on string of rezonings to help accommodate booming population, neighborhoods outside Manhattan, absorbing brunt of new development, are campaigning for historic preservation while City Council seeks louder voice in preservation affairs; meanwhile, staff of 11-member commission, despite growing workload, has dropped to 57 from 80 in 1991, survey department has been eliminated and commission now relies on private preservation groups to bring prospective designations to staff's attention; photos (L)