For nearly a year now the Hotel Chelsea residents have been living under the new management of BD Hotels -- and not one has been happy about it. Last summer we checked in with long time manager Stanley Bard (who BD ousted from his position) as well as some of those who call the hotel home...and spirits were low all around. While the hotel doesn't yet look like our imagined rendering (pictured), changes have taken......

Cartoons just got a little more real with The Three Thug Mice, an online series set in New York City. The 35 animated shorts follow the tales (and tails!) of three rodent crooks named Vic, Tik and Brik. Described as an "ongoing ghetto saga" set in some of the seedier sectors of the concrete jungle, the trio's home turf is light years away from Disney World. (Though that is the Hotel Chelsea in the......

Ed Hamilton is one of the voices behind the Living With Legends blog, which reports on the Hotel Chelsea -- from the Hotel Chelsea, where he has lived for over a decade. More recently, he put out a book of tales from his hotel home -- an establishment that provides endless material. Legends of the Chelsea Hotel is part satirical and part historical, and Hamilton will be around town reading from it this month. Catch......

MUSIC: Frequenter of the Hotel Chelsea, Country Joe McDonald (pictured at Woodstock) will be taking the Joe's Pub stage tonight to perform a tribute to Woody Guthrie where he "deftly conveys all the charm, talent, and social and political consciousness of the legendary folksinger from Oklahoma." 7pm // Joe’s Pub [425 Lafayette St] // $30 EVENT: Move over spelling bee...The Define-a-Thon Word Challenge hits Brooklyn tonight. The competitive word challenge is good for the spelling-impaired,......

EVENT: We're sponsoring, and our publisher is hosting, the NYC Photobloggers event tonight. Come over to the Apple Store to see a dazzling display of digital images and the faces behind the photos: Eliot Shepard, Jay Parkinson (yes, that Jay Parkinson) and a whole lot more will be on hand. There will also be a special presentation by Jen Bekman of 20x200, Hey Hot Shot, and the Jen Bekman Gallery and an after party at......

Last week a letter was sent out to residents of the Hotel Chelsea asking them to clean up and not leave their personal belongings around. The hotel has long had a homey, lived-in feeling and its unofficial blog says "Some residents have turned the space outside their doors into pleasant little sitting rooms or galleries." Changing this is a definite step in the wrong direction being made by the new management, and it seems......

The Observer revisits The Hotel Chelsea in a piece about a long-time resident who runs a salon out of the building. April Barton cuts hair out of Suite 303 in a salon that fits right in at the legendary building, and the cachet of running her business there isn't something she necessarily wants to give up. Recently, however, new management told her that she may be facing a massive rent hike. An otherwise “gracious” representative......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a double shooting on Webster Ave. in the Bronx, fatal person under a 4 train at 125th St. and Lexington Ave. in Manhattan, and a pedestrian struck at East 17th St. and Ave. I in Brooklyn. Conspiracy theorist/media activist Alex Jones was arrested Saturday night while addressing a crowd with a bullhorn in front of the Fox News studio in Manhattan. Jones is the head of a group who......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: An overturned vehicle on the Triborough Bridge, which can't be good for all those getting away for the weekend; an escaped prisoner in The Bronx; and multiple pedestrians were struck Dyckman Street & Broadway. Early this morning in Bed-Stuy, a police officer sitting in a marked vehicle was shot in the arm. The officer was treated and released from Kings County Hospital but the NYPD is still searching for......

Just after Ethan Hawke declared more love for the Hotel Chelsea and more fear about the changes there being the final nail in the coffin of "old New York," The Observer suspects his exes ex of helping to hold the hammer. Earlier this summer hotel developer André Balazs was spotted in the lobby of the hotel once it was under management of his pals Richard Born and Ira Drukier of BD Hotels (together the trio......

With a new movie coming out based on his first novel, The Hottest State, Ethan Hawke talks to The Daily News about how New York has changed since it was his muse in 1997. "You know that great diner where we talked before?" asks Hawke, talking about the Chelsea spot he was giving interviews at last fall for his Tony-nominated work in the epic trilogy "The Coast of Utopia." "It's gone! I went away and......

Last night (a little less than a month after the release of his latest album Emerald City) we met up with John Vanderslice, who has been playing a unique brand of blog shows for a while now. The world wide (web) tour consists of filming, in collaboration with different blogs, his songs in different cities. For his New York stop, we took him up to the roof of the Hotel Chelsea where he performed one......

John Vanderslice's reputation as "the nicest guy in indie rock" couldn't be more spot on. Last night we enjoyed some time with him on the roof of the Hotel Chelsea where he sang us a 'lil song. You'll be seeing video of that later, but first - get to know the man behind the reputation. He'll be at Sound Fix tonight at 7pm for a free show, and he was also kind enough to provide......

No, not the movie. The real Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen stopped by Manhattan Cable Network (whose studio was down the block from the Hotel Chelsea) on September 18th, 1978 for a live call-in show. Less than a month later Nancy was found dead, followed by Sid the following February. Watch Part One here, Part Two is below... The others in the video are Cynthia Ross (bassist for B-Girls) and Stiv Bators (of Dead Boys).......

Some residents who have been living at the Hotel Chelsea for a short period of time (longer than 30 days, less than six months) received a letter this week. No, it wasn't tucked in a welcome basket, rather it was informing them they were expected to check out later this month. Signed by Glennon Travis, the new Director of Operations, the letter (at right - enlarged here) says the hotel has the recipients of the......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a boat in distress off the Breezy Point Jetty in Queens, a bank robbery on 14th St. and 5th Ave. in Brooklyn, and a stabbing on East 115th St. in Manhattan. Jay Jay French, the guitarist for Twisted Sister, is upset that an Upper West Side Florist that's been in the neighborhood for 87 years is being forced to move to New Jersey due to higher rents. Living With......

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too - two of them in -Ist cities. Sampaist was shocked when a passenger jet crashed into the center of Sao Paulo, killing at least 200 people. The airplane, an Airbus A320, skidded off the runway at the......

On Monday we visited the Hotel Chelsea to speak with Stanley Bard and some of the residents, and to get a little tour of the place before it turns into a shell of its former self. The long-time residents of the hotel are, along with Stanley, the lifeblood of the building. Upon visiting, what we already knew became even more apparent: if "new management" tampered with the residents, the hotel would change just as......

Yesterday we headed over to the Hotel Chelsea to have a chat with Stanley Bard. Over the past month there have been many changes at the landmarked establishment that have left an unsettling feeling amongst the community. This community is one that Bard himself refers to as "A Mutual Admiration Society," and his description couldn't be more accurate. He and the hotel residents really respect and know each other, the only problem is that......

All sorts of people have been showing up at the Hotel Chelsea, or writing in, to express their thoughts on "new management". It was only a matter of time before Ethan Hawke stopped by (and we're glad he did)! His famous ex-wife famously dated Andre Balazs, who will now be "helping" to "rejuvenate" the hotel. From the front lines, the Hotel Chelsea blog reports (and even snapped that photo of his visit): Earlier today Ethan......

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a pursuit at 95th St. and 2nd Ave in Manhattan and two pedestrians were struck, a hanging at the D.E.P. plant on Wards Island, and a pipe explosion on 4th Ave. and 2nd St. in Brooklyn. Perhaps the early bird lunch for seniors at the Fort Greene Masonic Temple should be all-ages, because we hear that James Brown impersonator Black Velvet rocks the house. The several-thousand-pages-long environmental impact statement......

On Sunday we posted about the Bard Family being all but dismissed from their post at the Hotel Chelsea. As the interrogation spotlight continues to shine in the faces of the faceless "Board" that made the decision, a press release was sent out to explain what's going on behind the famous doors. The Bard Family, who have run the hotel from Mark Twain to Nancy Spungen to now, have been replaced by a new regime......

Forbes has put out their list of the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities, something to bicker about at the water cooler, no doubt. Here are some of the top-ranked New Yorker's and their earnings: Jay-Z at #9 with $83M David Letterman at #17 with $40M Donald Trump at #19 with $32M Sean Combs at #43 with $23M Derek Jeter at #50 with $28M Bill Clinton at #55 with $7M Regis Philbin at #64 with $21M......

The Hotel Chelsea Blog has been breaking a story from their ground floor this weekend. The Bard Family, who have run the hotel for...ever, have been told their job is done (whether they like it or not). Numerous sources are reporting that the Bard family is no longer in charge of the Chelsea Hotel. Apparently this occurred Thursday night when a member of the board came to the hotel to deliver the news to Stanley......

The Hotel Chelsea Blog explores theories about the hotel's most famous couple. This year marks the 29th anniversary of Nancy Spungen's death, who was murdered in room 100 of the legendary hotel. Since then, questions and rumors have surrounded her death - which was pinned on Sid Vicious. Now, a former friend of the late Sid (who we recently saw in those Doc Martens ads) has accused the NYPD of wrongly accusing his punk rock......

EVENT: What do Bob Dylan and the Brooklyn Bridge have in common? They both get a year older today! Bob turns 66 and the Bridge turns 124. To help celebrate the latter, there's a bike ride across the structure. There will also be cake and historical stories to keep you physically and mentally satiated. Related: There's also a walking tour of the Bridge on Saturday. 7 to 9pm // City Reliquary [370 Metropolitan Ave,......

Last week, the Sun reported that the "Bonnie & Clyde" burglars who robbed twenty-five apartments would face criminal charges next month. A couple from Savannah, Georgia, Robert Nestingen and Melissa Pavozehr, managed to steal about $350,000 in jewelry and cash since January 31 by targeting penthouse apartments. The couple hit buildings on the Upper West and East Side, Gramercy Park and Chelsea, and would pose as prospective buyers if building residents asked them questions. Pavozehr,......

Seems like the Hotel Chelsea residents have long been at battle with the clubs that open in the basement of the building. This used to be the case with Serena (which was owned by Anna Wintour's stepson/Minnie Driver's cousin) and now with Star Lounge (which has opened in its place). The basement lounges seem to draw a posh crowd that's the antithesis of who the Hotel was founded upon: starving (or at the very least,......

Last night, recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Patti Smith played an intimate show at the new Star Lounge in (her old residence) the Hotel Chelsea. The low-ceilinged bar was packed, hot and filled with old fans, friends and major label folk. Patti Smith got up on a small stage with her old band members and her son to play a few songs from her new release 12. The album is a......

The below is from a BBC documentary on the Hotel Chelsea, it includes footage of Andy Warhol (inexplicably wearing headphones) sharing a meal with William S Burroughs and Nico singing "Chelsea Girls". It was filmed inside the Chelsea Hotel in 1980, and the hotel's blog has more insight in the form of a letter from Joe Bidewell (who plays guitar in the background as Nico is singing) on what went down during filming: "Nico's performance......