Notorious New York Hotels

Best known as a common musical reference and an eclectic haven for artsy types, the Chelsea is famous for having hosted punk rocker Sid Vicious in Room 100 on the night … his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, died from a stabbing. Sid defended himself by saying that he was too high to remember what had transpired on the evening in question. Single rooms start at $195 a night. Free wi-fi is available in the lobby and "most" of the rooms have high-speed internet access. [link]

The Park Central in Midtown was home to not one, but two, major mob hits. In 1928, underworld financier Arnold Rothstein, who inspired a character in The Great Gatsby and … is credited with fixing the 1919 World Series, was shot after being called up to Room 349 to discuss his poker debts. Twenty-nine years later, mafia don Albert Anastasia walked into the hotel barbershop and wound up in a legendary crime-scene photo. Today the Park Central is geared towards a more legitimate business crowd. A night here goes for $139-$539 and wi-fi costs $12.95 a day, but having murder as a conversation piece during your Powerpoint presentations is priceless. [link]

Australian actor Russell Crowe made headlines when he was arrested at this fancy hotel in SoHo after throwing a phone at the concierge at four in the morning. Crowe said … the phone wasn't working and that he chucked it at the guy's head "because he was angry." I'm sure he wasn't drunk at all! Rooms range from $495-$750 a night, but rates are rising to $550-$820 in September. Free wi-fi. [link]

Woody Allen often plays with his jazz band at this opulent Upper East Side hotel. I'm not sure if Woody ever played with his adopted stepdaughter and future wife Soon-Yi … here, but JFK once owned the penthouse suite, 34A, which he used for trysts with Marilyn Monroe. If you want to roll like a Presidential philanderer, the "Royal Suites" at the Carlyle must be booked directly at the front desk and prices begin in the high three-figures. Cheaper options are available and so is wireless Internet access. [link]

In the seventies, the bar at this Hell's Kitchen motel served as a de facto office for Irish gangster Jimmy Coonan who had a reputation for chopping up his victims. At … one point, police dug behind the Skyline searching for bodies. Today, the premises have been completely renovated, rooms cost from $209-$425 a night, and there is a daily fee of $3.95 for wi-fi. [link]

The long list of illustrious guests who've stayed at this boutique hotel includes playwright Tennessee Williams, who lived in the "Sunset Suite" until his death there in … 1983. The police say that Williams died after choking on the cap to one of the numerous bottles of prescription pills that littered his room, but his brother insists that he was murdered. The Elysee has free wi-fi and reservations start at $245 a night. [link]