When the Wall Street Journal wrote about the Nepalese butler who inherited two apartments at the Dakota, some brokers suggested that he might not be approved by the co-op board to reside there. Well, the Dakota contacted the WSJ and said that was just a "baseless" rumor: "We at The Dakota are proud that for many years ours has been an extraordinarily diverse community of residents." It may not matter—former butler Indra Tamang, who already has a home in Queens with his wife and child, is selling the three-bedroom unit; the other apartment is a studio. more ›

A beloved butler is now the envied recipient of two apartments in the exclusive Dakota building on West 72nd Street and Central Park West. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Indra B. Tamang, who grew up in a mud house in a farming village in Nepal, has reached a pinnacle of society after more than three decades of loyal service as a butler, cook and caretaker to a socially prominent American family." more ›

Put it this way: Jared Leto should stay focused on his music career. It would be a shame if his acting aspirations distracted him from his totally boss band, 30 Seconds to Mars. Though one can see how he’d have a hard time turning down the role of Mark David Chapman, John Lennon’s murderer. After all, he’s a perfect fit for the role: both Leto and Chapman are unstable, grandiose footnotes whose insecurities drive them to violent acts that horrify millions of peaceful music lovers. more ›

It would a bit too simplistic to blame the impending closure of La Fortuna, the Upper West Side café that first opened in 1976, entirely on the skyrocketing rents of a turbo-gentrifying neighborhood. While the ever rising rental tide was certainly a factor – the building was taken over by a real-estate group after the previous landlord died – three years still remained on the lease. According to amNY, the closure has more to do with the death of the original owner’s wife last month:

Vincent "Uncle Vinny" Urwand called the cafe a dream come true for him and wife Alice, who was the "heart and soul" of the place. Alice died in January, and it was hard, Urwand said Thursday, to think of the place without her.