Back in December 2010 a lawyer at a Community Board SLA meeting told us that the Cooper Square Hotel was "very close" to being bought by the same folk who run the SoHo and TriBeCa Grands. And while that deal fell through it has now emerged that the hotel actually did change hands that month. In fact, it was taken over by Westport Capital in an "amicable" loan restructuring the same day they announced the Grand deal was donzo. more ›

Earlier in the month lawyers for the SoHo and TriBeCa Grand Hotels told us they were "very close" to a deal to buy the troubled Cooper Square Hotel. Last week the hotel shut down its Scott Conant restaurant, Faustina, presumably to make the upcoming sale smoother. We guess they weren't close enough. This morning we received an e-mail from the hotel's reps telling us that in fact it will "not be sold to an outside party." Further, they'll announce plans for a new restaurant in early 2011. We were really hoping they were going to rename it the Cooper Grand. Oh, well. more ›

Yup, looks like the rumor that the Cooper Square Hotel is going to be sold to the same people who run the Soho and Tribeca Grands is not a rumor. That much was confirmed at last night's relatively short Community Board 3 State Liquor Authority committee meeting (only two and a half hours!). more ›

Mark Madoff may have been sued for taking an estimated $66+ million, thanks to his dad Bernie's massive Ponzi scheme—but he's still got enough cash to pay for a night at the SoHo Grand. According to the Post, Madoff spent the night there after getting into a "bitter" fight with his wife, who eventually called the police because she was worried about his disappearance! more ›

There was never going to be a real winner in the Kirsten Dunst vs. alleged burglar case. Either millionaire starlet Dunst was going to send someone to jail for 15 years for stealing a purse, or a thief was going to get off with a slap on the wrist. The NY Post is now reporting that 35-year-old Jim Jimenez has been acquitted after playing what they call an "I'm too stupid" card; reportedly submitting letters and grades from his former Special Ed program that backed him up. more ›

Earlier we noted that actress Kirsten Dunst was heading to the courthouse today to testify against a Manhattan mechanic accused of stealing the actress's handbags and whatnot, while she was stationed at the SoHo Grand hotel penthouse. 35-year-old James Jimenez now faces 15 years in prison if convicted; his accomplice, Jarrod Beinerman, was already sentenced to 4 years. more ›

The man who broke into Kirsten Dunst's hotel room in the SoHo Grand last August, Jarrod Beinerman, is now headed for jail. The NY Post reports that he's been sentenced to 4 ½ years in prison after being arrested on burglary and larceny charges, though "he was allowed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of attempted burglary." All in all Dunst had her iPod, cameras, wallets, purses and cash taken from her. Since the news broke last summer, Beinerman's MySpace status has gone from "worried" to "miserable." But like a trouper, he's still got the marijuana avatar up there (declaring "Just Do It") even though he faces separate drug charges in Brooklyn next week. more ›

Last night Jesse Frohman's "In Bloom" exhibit opened at SoHo Grand's gallery, and Papermag describes it as "epic," twice (doubly epic!). The show features Frohman's now 14-year-old images of Kurt Cobain, and allegedly some photos of flowers. He told the website, "This shoot was supposed to be a five hour shoot. We had to do it in 15 minutes. It was crazy." It took place in NYC just before Cobain's death, and the singer arrived 3 hours late, looking exactly how he does in the photographs. But why show the seven photographs, from one photo shoot, now...is this just one more person trying to capitalize on Cobain? Could he be using his 15 minutes with the icon to get his, you know, 15 minutes? Whatever the reason, the show runs through January 31st, and images from the shoot are available for purchase in multiple places online. more ›

If you’re thinking about buying into the future Soho Mews condo but still unsure whether the “doorman, concierge and a curator” will be enough for you, the news in today’s Post might just be your tipping point. The under-construction condo, which is comprised of two buildings joined by a shared courtyard garden, has announced a partnership with Centovini, the Italian restaurant on West Houston, four blocks north from the condo on West Broadway, across from... more ›

The Staten Island homeless man who repeatedly attempted to lay claim to the SoHo Grand Hotel has pleaded guilty and faces a year in prison. Kouadio Kouassi is an immigrant from the Ivory Coast and has been jailed since last December. He repeatedly filed claims with the city's Dept. of Finance in an attempt to assume legal ownership of the $76 million boutique hotel. Upon sentencing, Kouassi will like be quickly released and then deported... more ›

All the papers are asking where Spider-Man was when Mary Jane Watson Kirstin Dunst's belongings were burgled on August 9th. The actress, who was in town filming How to Lose Friends and Alienate People, was staying at the SoHo Grand Hotel and had just left her suite with some others before the crime took place. What was in her room was a $13,000 handbag, $2500 in cash, ID and credit cards, two digital cameras, a cell phone and an iPod. more ›

This is a case of a criminal thinking big - grand, in fact. Staten Island resident Kouadio Kouassi was arrested for trying to stealing ownership of the $76 million Soho Grand. How did Kouassi go about claiming his stake in the hotel? By repeatedly filing paperwork with the Department of Finance to transfer ownership to himself. Seriously, he thought it would be as easy as that! The Post reports he filed a "phony business certificate...to establish an interest in the hotel" and then went to the Finance Department "to record the phony ownership deed." But the finance employee was suspicious, since the documents weren't professionally filled out and since most transactions like this are dealt with by lawyers. All of this unbeknownst to the hotel's actual owners, the Hartz Mountain group. more ›

Julia Levy was on the scene for yesterday's Art Parade and filed this report: more ›

The Soho Grand and Tribeca Grand hotels just relaunched their websites with some drool-licious shots of their rooms. Most rage-inducing is probably the penthouse loft tour at the Soho Grand-- according to this handy PDF guide, both the north and south lofts are 1200sqft each, with four flat-screen televisions, a wet bar, and fireplace. Sort of makes our 300 sqft closet/apartment/office seem a little more depressing! Rental rates are not posted online, but Gridskipper is estimating $1500 per night. [Related: the SoHo Grand is giving away two-nights in the penthouse-- might make a nice Valentine's Day weekend for some lucky couple.] more ›

It was too quiet on the Russell Crowe front, and perhaps after seeing the spades of publicity given to his Cinderella Man co-star get and another wannabe tough guy actor for maybe groping a lady's butt, Crowe decided to break into the tabloids. He was arrested at the Mercer Hotel after allegedly throwing a phone at a hotel employee. Reports say the actor was frustrated after not being able to phone home (Australia?), and the airborne phone hit an employee in the face at around 4:20AM this morning. Clearly, the Mercer Hotel didn't give the "When Russell Crowe Stays Here" pitcher's masks as part of their uniform. This isn't Crowe's first brush with terrorizing a SoHo hotel: In 2002, his assistant apparently freaked out at 60 Thompson when there was no more chicken paillard (gasp!) - not to mention that a fruit basket wasn't up to his standards. However, Crowe is very fond of downtown hotels... Gothamist remembers hearing a rumor that he was interested in buying a suite at 60 Thompson or the SoHo Grand. Anyway, Gothamist recommends that Crowe get a better cellphone plan that can work in the U.S. and Australia - then he can just throw the cellphone on the ground in frustration. more ›

Macaroni and Cheese: 52 Recipes, from Simple to Sublime more ›

We New Yorkers have been through a lot recently. First the Republican National Convention - bringing thousands of slow walking tourists to our city and most recently the UN meetings - can anyone explain why it takes 26 cars to move the President two blocks? more ›

Joe Quesada, Marvel Comics Editor in Chief more ›