What is it with painfully aspirational comparisons to the Big Apple in this town? In what must be the most awesomely misguided condo sales website in recent years, PERS Development is advertising its “Mint Living” project on 3rd and Rhode Island Avenue NE with pulsing trendy music and what appears to be an aerial view of midtown Manhattan at night (we’re pretty sure that’s the George Washington Bridge on the left and the Citigroup building on the right, at least).

The Business Journal reported back in August that the planned renovation, snatched from the jaws of condemnation hearings, will offer 20 luxury condos priced between $200,000 and $300,000. But while the roof deck with European shower, glass-enclosed gym, and scattered iPod docking stations all sound like nice amenities, the building still shares an intersection with a liquor store and a gas station. The “neighborhood convenience” section boasts a 1-block walking distance to Home Depot and 2-mile proximity to Verizon Center.

A good buy, perhaps—but Manhattan it’s not.