Ten artists found a way to make vacant commercial space incredibly exciting. I wandered by 25 Central Park West on a walk in my neighborhood a few days ago and saw artists inside. They were hard at work cleaning, preparing and hanging their pieces. Tapping on the window was one of my smartest moves this week. By doing so, I learned of a new exhibition, which opened Wednesday night. The show, 10 from 25: Emerging Artists using Photography, is set to run through December 13, 2009. It includes flat art and video, bringing to life an empty space in a part of Manhattan generally forgotten by the art community.

The artists, including Bess Greenberg, who gave me a tour of the space as she and the other artists prepared for opening night, have created an integrated show that doesn't sacrifice the message of each of the participants. So, in addition to a group exhibition, visitors are treated to 10 individual efforts, in which one can appreciate a specific style without having to cope with the intrusion of other pieces on his experience.

Firmdale Hotels, privately owned by husband and wife team Tim and Kit Kemp, opened its first hotel in the United States this fall in New York City's SoHo. The Crosby Street Hotel is located in the heart of SoHo between Prince, Spring and Lafayette streets and is bringing the duo's famous luxurious European style and long standing reputation for world class personal service to this side of the Atlantic. Their London properties are consistently on the Conde Nast Traveller's hot list for both the US and UK.

The interiors of the hotel are designed by Kit Kemp who has been responsible for the luxury group's design since its inception. She recently won the Andrew Martin International Interior Designer of the Year award and House & Garden Hotel Designer of the Year for her work on their Haymarket Hotel in London. She has brought her trademark quirky London style to the Crosby Street Hotel which was built from the ground up on the site of a vacant parking lot.

Inside guests will have their choice of 86 individually designed rooms and suites spread over 11 floors, each featuring floor-to-ceiling warehouse windows, a rarity in New York City. The hotel is also one of the most environmentally friendly hotels built in the United States and hopes to be one of the very first certified GOLD LEED hotels in New York. Guest rooms provide all the usual amenities found in a deluxe hotel including luxury linens, WiFi, flat screen tv and i-pod docking station. The public rooms of the hotel have there own unique features including:

• The Crosby Bar which stretches an entire city block
• A state of the art 99 seat screening room with orange leather Poltrona Frau chairs
• A private courtyard garden
• A personally selected art collection featuring a 10 foot high Juame Plensa sculpture, Peter Clark dog collage, mixed media pieces by Justine Smith and Jack Milroy, and oil paintings by Francois Bard

There is even a bespoke fragrance created for the hotel by acclaimed British perfumer Lyn Harris. The scent will be featured in all the hotel's toiletries free of charge to guests and available for purchase in the form of a scented candle.

Prices start at $525 a night but they are offering a special opening rate of $495 and up.

The Phillips de Pury auction on Thursday night raked in what once would have come from a single painting. Despite parading out pieces by Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons and Richard Prince, the sale was good for a mere $7 million, with individual lots moving for prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Thirty-nine went under the gavel, and eight didn't sell.

The Chelsea auction house lacks the savvy, knowledge and reach of Sotheby's and Christie's, so it had to lean on British art collector Charles Saatchi, who has agreed to complete most of his transactions through Phillips de Pury. In trade, subsidies from the auction house help keep access to Saatchi's gallery free.

Roughly a dozen of the lots came from Saatchi, while the others are said to have been rejected by Sotheby's and Christie's. In general, the pieces were "pretty skimpy," according to Manhattan art dealer Edward Tyler Nahem, who observes that the auction house "did pretty well with what they had."

Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama was the top seller, with her painting "Infinity Nets (T.W.A.)" busting past its high-end presale estimate of $400,000 and settling at $842,500 (including fees). Kusama's performance follows a well-hyped exhibition at the Gagosian Gallery this year.

Wine lovers rejoice. This Friday, Around the World in 80 Sips returns to New York, showcasing the finest offerings from top local wine shops. Brought to you by Bottlenotes, the Palo Alto based company bringing the best of wine to e-commerce, the online wine community unites enthusiasts with customized wine recommendations and exclusive information. (You must sign up on the site if simply to receive their daily e-mail wine tips.)

If you often find yourself wandering around the wine store, not sure of whether to pair that Spanish red or new Portugal white with your penne rigate, then this is the event for you. Sample your favorites and try new countries, as Around the World in 80 Sips presents the best flavors from both new and old world: Argentina, Chile, China, France, Italy, Lebanon, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, and the U.S. It's a fun, informal setting where you can ask every question you ever wanted to know about wine, while enjoying the Friday night fare. Drink without a conscience, because a portion of ticket sales benefit Robin Hood, a New York non-profit which fights poverty daily.

Click here to purchase tickets for this not-to-be-missed wine gala. And now till Friday, just for our readers enter the code LUXIST to save $10 off tickets.

Friday, November 13 6:30-8:30 PM
583 Park Avenue
New York, NY

A little shopping inspiration can be found in New York City when jewelry designer and fashion blogger Wendy Brandes will open a popup store in the West Village for two days this holiday season. The Wendy Brandes popup store will be open on November 20th and 21st from 12:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at 48 Greenwich Avenue near Perry Street. Wendy will be on hand both days to showcase her detailed handcrafted pieces. Hear straight from Wendy about the rich and witty inspirations for each unique piece. In addition to being a talented designer Brandes has an abiding love of history which manifests in unique pieces like a tiny sarcophagus that opens to reveal a mummy with diamond eyes or her popular poison rings which have secret compartments. Her collections have been inspired by a variety of historical figures including an Anglo-Saxon Queen, an Empress of Rome and the Queen of Scots.

The Wendy Brandes Popup Store will also have styles from her friend Zang Toi's collection available for shoppers interested in clothing to go along with their jewels. Zang Toi established the "House of Toi" collection in New York in 1989, and was awarded the 1990 Mouton Cadet Young Designer of the Year award, which recognizes the top young US designer of the year. Over the years, his design has evolved from the bright and decadent of the 1990s to the timeless yet modern lines of the turn of the country.

The 7th annual Tibet House US Benefit auction is taking place on November 18th at Christie's Auction House in New York City. The event is aimed at promoting and preserving Tibetan culture. Proceeds from the auction will be divided to sustain the Tibet House and another organization with like-minded initiatives. Some funds will support projects and programs spawned by the Tibet House in their mission of displaying and maintaining the ancient traditions of the Tibetan civilization. The event will also donate to Tibetan Children's Village an integrated educational community for destitute Tibetan children in exile located in Dharamsala, India. The fundraiser will also benefit the Tibetan Community of New York and New Jersey.

Items to be auctioned off include a package of four VIP concert tickets and a meet and greet backstage with Sting, internships at Rolling Stone and US Weekly, a private journey for two to Bhutan with guest accommodations, a luxury yacht cruise for seven to the Bahamas with a week long stay in a private house on the beach, lunch at the Four Seasons restaurant in New York City with Uma and Robert Thurman, shopping and lunch with Donna Karan at her store, John Lennon, Martin Scorsese, and Miles Davis memorabilia, a one-week stay in a villa on the French Riviera, contemporary art and photographs from Annie Leibovitz, Patti Smith, Ed Ruscha, Donald Baechler, and more. TIckets to the event are $225 per person with VIP tickets that include a preview and private reception available for $500.

Do we need a better augury of a renewed global economy than this? TMZ is reporting that our favorite spendthrift Roman Abramovich is at it again. He spent around $52,000 on lunch in New York City at Italian food restaurant Nello's. Abramovich and his party of nine others dined on truffle carpaccio, rigatoni Siciliana, truffle taglioni, filet mignon and more but what really boosted the tab was the wine. The bill which TMZ has obtained shows bottles of Cristal Rosé, Chateau Petrus and Domaine Romanee-Conti La Tache as well as some Johnnie Walker Blue. Apparently, Abramovich and his crew aren't sweets lovers, there's just one lone tiramisu on the list.

TMZ reports that the check had an automatic gratuity of 20 percent, over $7,000 but Roman and crew threw in another $5,000, bringing the tip to 26 percent. Classy move, oligarchs.

Just how bad is the condo situation in New York? Right to the City-New York, an alliance of grassroots community organizations, has identified a total of 601 condominium buildings in a half dozen neighborhoods in New York City that have either stopped construction or have a great deal of vacant units. That number is a lot higher than the 454 recorded by the Department of Buildings for the city as a whole.

Members of Right to the City went through six neighborhoods in Manhattan and Brooklyn finding buildings that aren't being fully utilized in order to show the city how big the problem is. Over the summer the city began a $20 million pilot program called the Housing Asset Renewal Program in order to turn residential buildings into as many as 400 affordable housing units. Among the buildings that Right to the City identified are Be@Schermerhorn, a 246-unit luxury condo, with a vacancy rate of more than 93 percent, and Forté, a 108-unit luxury condo, with a vacancy rate of more than 60 percent. Both buildings have been on the market for at least a year and Forté was recently taken over by its lender Eurohypo bank.

As Crains New York points out, it's not quite clear how many developers might want to participate in the Housing Asset Renewal Program in order to help finish their stalled projects. Many may prefer to simply wait out the current economic doldrums and begin building again when the market picks up.

Christie's is looking for a thrill on November 10, 2009. The auction house is sending an Andy Warhol portrait of Michael Jackson under the gavel, with a presale estimate of between $500,000 and $700,000. The piece, measuring 30 inches by 26 inches, is one of a small collection of silk-screens the King of Pop Art created of the King of Pop in 1984.

The Jackson piece is being sold by an anonymous collector in New York, according to Brett Gorvy, the deputy chairman of Christie's. The current owner purchased it from the Andy Warhol foundation sometime in the 1990s.

Forty-six lots will be auctioned along with the Jackson portrait, and there will be two other paintings by Warhol.

Back in August, a similar Jackson painting by Warhol was sold. The buyer chose to remain anonymous, and nobody will reveal the price ... except to say that it went for more than $1 million.

If you can survive buying or selling real estate in New York City, you can survive the process anywhere (well, maybe London and Tokyo would be rough). I've bought twice and sold once in NYC, and am pretty sure some of my gray hair arrived during those months. Recently I heard about BidOnTheCity.com, "eBay for Manhattan real estate." Intriguing! You can buy or sell, but unlike most other auction sites, you can only bid at a certain time, in person or online, Sundays at noon. Even brokers can get involved. Here's how it works. Read some press coverage here.

Sometimes when exuberance trumps elegance it can be delightful. Case in point the New York City townhouse belonging to the late designer Abbijane Schifrin. The NY Times Big Deal column reports that Schifrin loved her Gramercy Park townhouse and held fashion shows there as well as drawing her designs on the kitchen table. The townhouse was built in the mid 19th century and rebuilt in 1910 and 1911 by Frederick J. Sterner. Much of his work including oak paneling, stone and brick fireplaces and Arts-and-Crafts style leaded windows is still preserved in the home. Details include a latticework of oak on the dining room ceiling, a barrel-ceilinged living room and a small formal rear garden.

The home is vibrantly colorful on the upper floors including an otherworldly blue bathroom and a hot pink bedroom that another designer, Betsy Johnson, might go mad for. The single-family house was turned into a two-unit condominium six years ago and the upper two stories were sold off. Now Schifrin's heirs and her upstairs neighbor are putting it on the market as a single home. It is listed at $8.75 million.

The list of the most expensive cities in the United States is now out, and unsurprisingly, New York has taken the top spot, with a cost of living that's double its closest follower. Of course, the financial crisis has put a bit of pressure on real estate prices and the cost of goods all over the country, but there are still some places that just cost a fortune.

New York: a two-bedroom luxury apartment (unfurnished) now costs a mere $4,300, off $200 from last year. And, there are other signs that the most expensive city is becoming less expensive, including the shuttering of Café des Artistes and the opening of our first J.C. Penney (ugh).

Los Angeles: this is where you go if you can afford only half the cost of living in New York. Unlike the most expensive city in the country, it makes sense to have a car out there, but get a nice one: you'll be spending a lot of time in it. LA has some of the longest commutes in the country.

Washington, D.C.: in this part of the country, take advantage of a 3.8 percent unemployment rate for the metro area. That's a hell of a lot better than the nationwide 9.8 percent (expected to break 10 percent early next year).

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The world's most accomplished Ponzi schemer -- right up until he got caught, that is -- finally lost his beach home. Bernie Madoff's Montauk house moved for $9.41 million, according to the U.S. Marshals Service, more than the $8.75 million for which it was listed. It sold on Friday, and the buyer is not being named. It only took a month to make the transaction happen.

Joseph Guccione, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of New York, calls this "another step forward for the government," and though he didn't mention anything about the victims, one assumes that it's progress for them, too. After all, it would be nice if they got even a taste of this cash.

Several bidders tried to get their hands on Madoff's former home, which measures 3,000 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The losers can have another shot at Madoff glory, though, as properties in New York and Palm Beach, Florida, are listed. The former is on the market for $9.9 million, and the latter is listed for $8.49 million.

Madoff was unable to take a last walk through the halls of the Long Island residence, of course, because he's otherwise detained committed in Butner, North Carolina. But, he's adapting, having already thrown down on the block and earned himself some props.

Last year Robert De Niro's Greenwich Hotel ran afoul of New York City's Landmarks Preservation Commission over a penthouse on top of building. The best suite in the TriBeCa hotel has caused controversy because the commission says that the penthouse does not match the design that they approved in 2004. Last year De Niro appeared at a panel hearing to ask commission members to give him a break and not make he and his partners remove the suite (at an estimated $1.5 million cost) and start over. At the time De Niro said that they worked on the project a long time and tried their best to make it fit into the historic neighborhood. The NY Post reports that De Niro had told the commission that he would update the penthouse façade to match detailed brick used on rest of the building's exterior.

It's been over a year and the building hasn't been corrected. De Niro's business partners and a team of architects were supposed to appear before the commission last week to address the delay. There is no official deadline for getting the project finished but the commission isn't giving up on getting the building fixed in a way that makes the neighborhood happy.

Our sister blog, WalletPop recently interviewed the fabulous Bette Midler on her New York Restoration Project. The non-profit, which works to revitalize parks and public spaces throughout New York City, built a community garden in one of New York's toughest neighborhoods, in the Bronx. The garden opened October 6 and will also host cooking demonstrations, gardener workshops, summer concerts and community movie nights.

Most of the plots of land will go to school children at neighboring P.S. 73 so they can learn more about gardening. Midler is working on establishing green jobs in New York City and the New York Restoration Project has a goal to plane one million trees in New York in ten years. They recently celebrated the planting of the 250,000th tree. Target has funded the project, backing both the Target Community Garden in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn which opened in 2007 and the Target East Harlem Community Garden which opened in 2008 Target also established a fund to help maintain the gardens. Check out more from Midler in the video above.