The 234 Apartment

As you do more banking by smartphone, that bank branch you used to visit may soon turn into a restaurant, a day care center or even a condo tower. After a branch building boom a decade or so ago, banks are closing offices by the thousands as more of their customers bank online . They're leaving behind space ready to be transformed into something else, whether an urban storefront or a free- standing brick building with a drive-thru in the suburbs. "If the real estate is strong, any number of things can happen to the property," says Kim McGuire, senior vice president in the Chicago office of CBRE. It's a problem or an opportunity, depending on your perspective, that will be here for a while. Banks operate about 89,300 branches in the United States today , down 8 percent over the past decade, according to Chicago- based real estate firm Jones Lang LaSalle . JLL expects an additional 20 percent drop over the next decade. In the Chicago area, the number of branches d...

W hether it is travelling on a budget or seeking out luxury, finding a secret island or planning a pet-friendly escape, holidaymakers are jumping on the growing trend of travel concierges. With a contacts book of the hottest names across the globe, these facilitators can jump the waiting list at Noma, hunt down the finest embroidery in Rajasthan (Andraab, Jaipur), order from the top pastry shop in Paris (Goût de Brioche, St Germain) and bag the best family beach spot in the Mediterranean ( St George Beach , Naxos, Greece).  Ten years ago , travel concierges were the preserve of high-net-worth individuals. Now, their services are accessible to a wider demographic, from business executives and single parents to gap-year students and extreme adventurers.   Millennials are driving the trend with their reliance on digital access and expert advice, a need heightened by a saturated internet and a world that is increasingly on fast-forward. “Time is one of the most precious things and one mo...