New York‘s storied Chelsea Hotel, the classic haunt of artists and hell-raising performers, is for sale and, perhaps, so is its soul.

The 12-floor building with the neon sign “Hotel Chelsea” is a landmark in Manhattan thanks to its long list of famous residents.

Playwright Arthur Miller and singers Janis Joplin and Patti Smith were among those living there. Poet Dylan Thomas died there, as did Nancy, the girlfriend of Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious.

As three of the world’s newest cruise liners just steamed into New York harbour, the organization representing the world’s cruise lines is expecting a record 2011.

New Yorkers were treated to a fireworks display to celebrate the simultaneous visit of Cunard‘s Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth to the city.

It is only the second time in history that Cunard’s fleet has been in the same place at the same time.

Swarovski has enlisted multimedia artist Bruno Aveillan to make a cinema spot with them that would conjure Swarovski’s more than 115 year heritage on the big screen.

The video shows a Swarovski model ambling across a crystalline dreamscape and interacting with the brand’s products.

From now through February, the cinema spot will be airing for all to admire on the Swarovski billboards at Times Square and Rockefeller Center in New York.

Google said Wednesday that it had purchased an 18-story building in New York to house its more than 2,000-strong workforce in the city.

Google did not announce a purchase price for the building at 111 Eighth Avenue in the Chelsea neighborhood but the New York Post put the cost at 1.77 billion dollars.

The newspaper said the final price, including transfer taxes and assorted other fees, could be 1.9 billion dollars.

Louis Vuitton introduces the first step of the video diptyque dedicated to the men’s Spring/Summer 2011 collections.

This season is embodied by the artist and tatooist Scott Campbell, who collaborated on the runway collection presented in June 2010 in Paris.

The clip invites you to follow Scott Campbell in his New York creative universe before leaving to a mysterious destination to be revealed very soon…

The Peninsula New York and The Peninsula Chicago have unveiled two customised MINI Cooper S Clubman vehicles.

Guests who book a suite at each hotel will have free access to a MINI for up to three hours per day during their stay.

Each car is specially fitted with a tailor-made rooftop box providing extra cargo space, a mini-fridge offering complimentary refreshments, and an iPhone.