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Ah, New York. There’s really no place like it. It’s one of the only cities in the world where you can pay hundreds of dollars for a hotel room smaller than your office cubicle.

We’re hardly exaggerating, and to prove it, we’ve rounded up our photos of some of the smallest hotel rooms we’ve ever seen.

(It’s worth noting that good things can come in small packages, and if the price is right, some of these exceptionally teensy spaces can actually be good values.)

The Jane Hotel

First up, The Jane Hotel. With shared bathrooms and hilariously small (though cleverly designed) rooms, this newly renovated West Village landmark offers quirky accommodations for hipsters on a tight budget — most rooms are $99 a night.

Hotel 41 At Times Square

Its standard rooms, even its “Superior” Rooms, are some of the smallest hotel rooms anywhere in New York — that’s really small. But, if the room is just for sleeping, Hotel 41 has a superb location in the heart of Times Square on 41st Street (hence its name), surrounded by the flashing marquees and every major subway line.

Pod Hotel

Part hotel, part hostel (with shared bathrooms), the Pod Hotel is pretty basic for business-focused Midtown East. But it’s still not the cheapest hotel. Rooms — those with their own bathroom — also have free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs, and iHome iPod docks. But they’re tiny — maybe the smallest in New York. For the price, opt for the Holiday Inn Sixth Avenue in far-hipper Chelsea.

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A 4,600-square-foot home in Switzerland is on sale for just more than $7.7 million. 

The home has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and one half bath.

The house is in Clarens, which the listing calls "one of the best districts in the region."

Welcome to Clarens.

The current owner is asking $1,684 per square foot.

The home has three fireplaces.

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While many New Yorkers holed up in their apartments during Hurricane Sandy, others were stuck out in the wild, including unlucky commuters, real homeless, and New Yorkers forced to evacuate. 

We visited the evacuation shelter at the High School of Communication Arts-Manhattan at 439 W. 49th St. to speak with some people staying in the shelters. Although not allowed inside, we were able to talk to a few people staying at the shelter and some volunteers.

They talked about the food and the conditions, but the most interesting thing they described was what happened when wealthy evacueeées showed up from buildings near the broken crane on W. 57th—and then got all the attention.

Check it out: 

Produced by Daniel Goodman

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With New Jersey slowly starting to pull itself back together after the devastation caused by Sandy, life there remains far from normal.

Damages to businesses could reach $30 billion and over 2 million New Jersey homes and business remain without power.

Click here to go straight to the photos >

We headed out there to see how the state is doing post-Sandy and while things are getting better there remain sharp contrasts in the areas affected. Some face limited damage and have power or are near people with power. Those areas are calmer with people gathering at charging stations or malls or going to friends' homes.

Other parts of the state like Lake Ferry and Moonachie are still submerged in water. Many there are struggling with the permanent loss of property and possessions. There people are still slowly getting back on their feet and reorganizing their lives. 

One of the first things we noticed when we got to New Jersey were the incredible gas lines, the state is running out of gas and people are getting desperate. Police are on hand to maintain order. 

We traveled through Bergen County, into Lake Ferry and Moonachie and then down to Hoboken and will be sharing out findings over the coming days.

Our first stop, after a gas station, was Garden State Plaza, where the mall has opened to allow people to charge phones and devices. 

We've never seen a mall like this. 

The first thing you notice when you get to New Jersey are the gas lines.

Some stretch for more than 2-3 miles.

In that front red car, Shari Howard got lucky, she pulled into the line at an exit point (there was no way to drive to the end) and was able to get up to the pump in only 10 minutes. She had traveled down from badly damaged Greenwood Lake, NY to visit family.

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Christopher Howse admits he would rather not party with Pippa Middleton, reviewing Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends.

Pippa Middleton has “always loved to write”, indeed it is a “passion”, so it is sad that she has had to wait until the age of 29, four years older than Keats at his death, to achieve publication. In her first sentence she sportingly refers to the “global recognition” attained by her bottom.

Her opinions, however, remain unpredictable . “I don’t think,” she declares, “there’s a right way or a wrong way to celebrate.” This is surprising. If she doesn’t think there’s a wrong way to celebrate, we might have expected more photographs of her in the cheaper celebrity magazines.

The chosen celebrations mark the seasons, with nods to the comfortably named Bonfire Night and Pancake Day. There are plenty of photos of Pippa: Pippa carrying some smoked salmon and beetroot “crostinis”; Pippa threading a conker; Pippa in dark blue shorts being treated as a wheelbarrow on the beach by some chap in light blue shorts; Pippa helping a little boy paint an egg; Pippa helping a little girl stir a Christmas pud. I made it 53 photos of Pippa, some full-page. Yet the globally recognised bottom hardly gets a look-in, making a half-hearted entrance on page 163, and exiting with another plate of canapés on page 164.

The flavour is of a twentysomething, smiling, prosperous, interiorly designed life, with other people’s children, surely, as accessories. Some 40 pages are devoted to the ideal children’s party, held in the sunny outdoors. If you’re stuck for an idea, try a “sack race”. It works like this: “Everyone stands along a starting line and, on ‘Go’, players start jumping in their sacks towards the finish line. Over-enthusiastic racers will most likely get themselves in a tangle and fall.” Yes, I think I get the idea. But how can you tell who has won? “The first person to cross the finish line is declared the winner.”

And for grown-ups, quite like what does nothing say summer? A barbecue. “Nothing says summer quite like a barbecue,” we are told. “Even with cloud-ridden skies, there is always a good British cheer that the weather has held and – most importantly – it’s not raining!” Isn’t it? “Most guests will, without doubt, still relish the chance of eating outside wrapped up in blankets and coats.”

But what about decorations? “There is no real need for decorations when throwing a barbecue party – let the summer garden, in all its vibrant and luscious splendour, speak for itself.”

Then there are picnics. Pippa Middleton has a strange theory about these: “The decline of coaching inns – until then relied upon for a decent meal – meant people had to cater for themselves.” In the hamper, what better than the Cornish pasty? “This traditional British pie has attained iconic and protected status and is instantly recognisable by the distinctive shape.” But is the recognition global, like Pippa’s? Then, for the more adventurous, camping is “rather like a picnic, but it brings an extra sense of camaraderie”.

What is the point of this thick, colourful book, except as a sort of cultural tea bag for the American market? Who will rely on its recipes for cooking a turkey, a Victoria sandwich or a leg of lamb?

In a way, though, it is an autobiography. There is a breathing human life hidden behind the team effort of the photographer, props mistress, recipe tester, “craft and creative companion”, two historical researchers, a cocktail consultant and a florist, all duly thanked, and Sarah Reynolds, the mysterious “ear to my ideas and eye to my words”, a “stalwart travelling companion on this literary journey”.

And at the edge of the soft Home Counties focus, there are worrying hints. Pippa’s grandmother convinced her that the currants in rabbit-shaped biscuits were squashed flies. Pippa’s favourite pudding at school was “birdseed”. Even at picnics there is “wildlife passing close by”. A cocktail called Blood and Sand is photographed with an edible ant floating in it. At least I hope it is edible. The next book (“I’m having new ideas all the time”) might well fall into the misery lit category. A good title would be “The Wrong Way to Celebrate”.

Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends

by Pippa Middleton

416pp, Michael Joseph, t £23

(PLUS £1.35 p&p) Buy now from Telegraph Books (RRP £25)

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Outside Chengdu, in central China, a 78 million square foot site has been determined for an unconventional sort of construction project. It will be a city built from scratch, for 80,000 people, none of whom will need a car to get around.

Click here to see the master plan >

The "Great City" is a plan for an ambitious urban center designed to limit its residents environmental impact by producing clean energy, reducing waste, and promoting public transportation over individual car use.

The project is the work of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture, who note that "Chinese planning officials [are] beginning to see the effects of automobile-dependent design and are open to better alternatives to urban sprawl."

It has been called the "Car-Free City," a moniker that is not entirely accurate. The architecture firm notes that the vision is for a city where "cars will be essentially unnecessary," but allowed. 

The master plan includes many good ideas. Half the road space will be reserved for non-motorized traffic, and electric shuttles will get people where they cannot or do not want to walk. All homes will be within a two-minute walk of a public park.

An "eco-park" will treat wastewater and solid waste, and generate power. Land outside the city will be reserved for farming. Wildlife habitat will be protected. Buildings have been designed to maximize the use of wind power; the planners decided Chengdu's hazy climate is not conducive to solar power.

All told, Smith and Gill expect to cut energy use by 48 percent, water use by 58 percent, and produce 89 percent less waste, compared to a conventional development with a similar population.

Going beyond environmental impact, Smith and Gill designed Great City to provide residents with affordable housing, education, and medical care, all clustered in the city center to encourage a thriving civic life.

It's a lovely vision for anyone concerned by climate change and social inequity, and the effectiveness of the power, transportation, and recycling systems will be judged once in place. But the project as a whole raises some questions.

Can a city built so quickly stand the test of time? What happens to the architects' scheme if residents don't behave as expected? And even if this eco-city works as planned, what can China do to translate this program to the hundreds of millions of people living in older cities?

Still, considering the rate at which China is urbanizing, a proven plan for minimizing the environmental impact of new cities would be worth a lot.

The design is the work of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill Architecture.

It will be built on the fringes of Chengdu, a city of 17 million people.

The master plan calls for a dense city surrounded by farmland. The team is also considering vertical farming in buildings.

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Much of New York and New Jersey is still reeling from the after effects of Sandy and many remain without power and some still in dire situations. 

In Manhattan below 40th St. on the East Side power has been out for days, but New Yorkers are resilient and find ways to help and entertain themselves. 

We found both when we stopped by Pushcart Coffee in Gramercy on Wednesday evening. They are running a generator and staying open and allowing people to charge up and use wifi.

"Jane Dancer," (not her real name, but her stage name) an elderly Chinese lady, was there when we stopped by and you HAVE to watch her response to Sandy, it is priceless.

Produced by Daniel Goodman

Don't Miss:

A Genius Act Of Kindness: NYC Startup Provides Wi-Fi And Charging Stations For Those In Need

Some People Weren't Happy When Rich New Yorkers Showed Up At An Evacuation Shelter

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Who really needs neighbors?

The prices of islands of plummeted since the housing crisis, nearly 25 percent, making right now the best time to buy your very own private oasis. 

Realtor.com has 460 listings that include an island that you can buy right now. We've picked out some of our favorites.

For a bargain $572,000, own a private island in Sweden. The island, set in Lake Mjörn, is rocky and has plenty of cliffs.

Click here to see more photos of the island >

The home on the island has five bedrooms, one bathroom, and one half bath, spanning 1,400 square feet.

Click here to see more photos of the island >

For $1.95 million, buy this island in New York State in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The island spans 1.3 acres.

Click here to see more photos of the island >

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Mileage runners are a subculture of frequent flyers who've found impressive ways to hack the system. 

In online forums like Flyer Talk, they debate the best ways to rack up the most miles for the least amount of money.

But while each flyer has her own unique style and mileage goal, they can all agree on one thing: Elite status is the only way to fly. 

"I know people who have a passion for new routes, new aircraft, new carriers, etc., but that's not me," says Scott Mackenzie, who runs the blog HackMyTrip. "If sitting on a plane for a day means I get an upgrade or a free flight in the future, that's a fair trade." 

We reached out to eight mileage runners and asked them to share their best runs, travel tips and what they have in their carry-on. 

Michelle Singh spent a Saturday flying 'MRY-SFO-PHX-LAX-MRY' as a kid to make Premier status.

Background: Today she's a stay-at-home mom and private pilot who blogs at Miles Points and Mai Tais. Check out her cool aviation photos on ThirtySixThousand.com and follow her on Twitter @hulagrrl210. 

First run: "My very first mileage run was as a kid," says Singh. "I was just a few hundred miles short of making Premier for the very first time, so my dad dropped me off at the airport one morning, and I spent my Saturday flying MRY-SFO-PHX-LAX-MRY. No one seemed to care that I was an unaccompanied minor." 

The status: Premier Gold on United. "I like having access to their Economy Plus seating and Star Alliance lounges when I travel overseas," she says. "Another great perk that many overlook is their very generous 3 x 70 lb. baggage policy."  

The goal: Become a million miler. "I have about 800,000 lifetime miles, so I figured after two years of making 1K, I should reach that goal. After that, I'll be a Premier Gold for life!"

In her carry-on: Noise canceling headphones: "Crying babies and loud talkers are no match for my Bose QC15s." 

Best way to pass time: People watching.  

Tip: Do a stopover to get more value. "Technically, a stopover is anything over 24 hours, but a long layover, like 18 hours, is still a great way to see a new city." 

Stefan Krasowski drove through all seven United Arab Emirates within 24 hours to make it in the Travelers Century Club.

Background: The New York business exec runs Rapid Travel Chai, an internationally-focused blog that helps people book the trip of the lifetime, even if it's just for one weekend. Follow him on Twitter @rapidtravelchai. 

Greatest run: "One Friday night I left work, flew to Dubai, arrived Saturday night, spent 24 hours driving over 500 miles to each of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates, each counting as a country for the Travelers Century Club," recalls Krasowski. "I flew back Sunday night and went straight into the office Monday morning. 16,000 miles flown, seven countries visited, awesome memories, no vacation days used." 

The status: Delta Diamond, "which gives a tremendous amount of flexibility in terms of fee waivers and flight changes," he says. 

The goal: Travel to every country in the world while holding down a full-time job. "Many of these trips include airfares, often for the shortest flight, that would be prohibitively expensive without being able to redeem miles for them," says Krasowski. 

In his carry-on: "Passport, international driving permit, international certificate of vaccination, cash, multiple credit and debt cards; something to read, something to listen to." 

Biggest challenge: "Earning tolerance from my wife is a lifetime work in progress." 

Tip: Always book on a Tuesday at 11 a.m. or 3 p.m. Eastern Time. "That is almost always when fares drop each week. My Tuesday lunchtime is always blocked for checking airfares," says Krasowski. 

Greg Davis-Kean took advantage of a Sears promotion and flew across the country in one day.

Background: Davis-Kean is the full-time blogger behind The Frequent Miler, which helps readers use plastic to get elite status faster. Follow him @FrequentMiler.

Craziest run: "Sears happened to be having a big promotion that day in which they were offering 10 points per dollar through Chase's Ultimate Rewards Mall, and so I spent the day not just flying, but blogging about my online shopping experiences as well," Davis-Kean recalls. Read his adventure here. 

Status: Delta Platinum, which requires 75,000 medallion qualifying miles per year. 

The goal: Keep high elite status with Delta. "With Platinum status, Delta allows free changes to award tickets (up to 72 hours in advance)," making those miles more valuable. "If I see a tempting award, I can book it just in case," says Davis-Kean. "If I decide later that it doesn't work for me, I can cancel it without penalty." 

In his carry-on: "My iPhone, iPad, and laptop go with me everywhere."

Favorite airline: "I really do like Delta," Davis-Kean says. "It works because I live near a Delta hub and I have high level status, which gives me perks when flying (elite security line, priority boarding, free domestic upgrades, etc.)." 

Tip: Stop booking nonstop flights. "By including a stop or two you can greatly increase your earned miles often without paying much (if any) extra," he says. 

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Ryugyong Hotel, the enormous hotel planned for Pyongyang North Korea that has been in the works for decades, may finally open next year.

The BBC reports that Reto Wittwer, chief executive of the Kempinski group which will manage the hotel, has said the hotel will open next year "partially, probably".

The hotel's towering structure and long, slow construction process have led to it being dubbed the "hotel of doom" by westerners.

While there had been plans for 3,000 rooms (not to mention 5 revolving restaurants), those plans appear to have been scaled back, with Wittwer now saying only the top floors of the huge tower will act as a hotel.

With the recent announcement that North Korean airline Air Koryo — known as one of the world's worst airlines — was supporting online booking, and Kim Jong-un's calls for mini golf, could we be seeing a North Korean tourism push in the near future?

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At least a dozen food trucks are headed to Lower Manhattan today, in the newly dubbed SoPo (South Of Power) neighborhoods to distribute free food, according to Eater. 

The NYC Food Truck Association and JetBlue are sending in the food. The trucks will be distributing food from noon to about 4 p.m. today.

Here are the locations of the trucks distributing: 

At Eighth Avenue and 19th Street in Chelsea:
· Andy's Italian Ice
· Milk Truck
· Frites n' Meats

At Washington Square:
· Big D's Grub
· Coolhaus

At Beach 50th and Beach Channel Drive in the Rockaways:
· Cupcake Crew
· Eddie's Pizza

At Astor Place:
· Toum
· Rickshaw Dumplings
· Wafels & Dinges

At Tompkins Square Park:
· Mexico Blvd.
· Sweetery

At Trader Joe's at 14th Street and Third Avenue:
· Wafels & Dinges

At City Hall Park:
· Wafels & Dinges

Now check out the best food trucks in New York City >

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This is the Michael Bastian Shearling Bomber Jacket from MR PORTER.

Why We Love It: The style of this bomber jacket dates back to when the first military pilots flew in unenclosed cockpits and, needing to keep warm, began wearing leather coats lined with fur.

And though you may not be manning a 20th century airplane, this modern take on the G-1 military flight jacket with soft leather, zip pockets, and warm shearling will keep you snug in the colder months with its off-duty appeal.

Where To Buy: Available through MR PORTER.

Cost: $3,985.

Want to nominate a cool product for Stuff We Love? Send an email to Megan Willett at mwillett@businessinsider.com with "Stuff We Love" in the subject line.

Don't Miss: Oakley Airwave Goggles With Built-In Display

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Residents of Manhattan's 19-building, 1,191-apartment Jacob Riis projects, have been without power and water since late Monday evening, and there's been no sign of help from local government.

In all, city officials estimate some 49,000 public housing residents have been stranded by the storm, left without the resources to escape or find alternative lodging. 

When Getty photographer Mario Tama ventured inside, he found residents huddled in living rooms lit by solitary candles and gas stoves running constantly for heat. 

Here are a few images from Tama's visit on Thursday: 

The Jacob Riis project is located on farmost edge of the East Village, between Avenue D and the Franklin D Roosevelt Drive and covering seven blocks between 6th and 13 street. Each of the 19 buildings is between six and 14 stories high. 

Inside one of the buildings, Tama came across Henry Cames and Geronimo Harrison, a pair of friends who were trudging up to their 11-floor apartments by foot. No power means no working elevators. Cames lit their path with a flashlight clenched in his teeth. 

They're some of the luckier ones. Many units at the ground level were flooded during the surge, driving tenants to seek shelter and food wherever they could find it. Upstairs, Harrison heats his apartment with a gas stove. 

Baby Selena, pictured below, is blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding outside. 

To kids on the 11th floor, the blackout probably seems like a game. Lavell Harrington, pictured below, plays while shining a flashlight while the grownups do the worrying. 

While they still wait for help with food and water, residents have set up a makeshift barbecue outside of the buildings. Here, Nico DeGallo serves up hot meals for her neighbors. 

According to ConEd, the lights should be returned to lower Manhattan by Saturday morning. On Friday morning, government workers arrived with food, water and other provisions for Lower East Side residents –– nearly five days since Sandy struck. 

 Business Insider's Julia La Roche was on the scene. For some, she was told, it was too little too late. 

"This is the first day the food came down to service us," Dolly, a resident in a nearby government housing building, told Business Insider.

Sharice Vadon, a mother of three, chimed in, "I'm going to be honest.  They left us. They came the first day and knocked on the doors and said to everybody, 'Leave,' but they knew not everybody was going to leave. And then they left us."

Now see more photos from Sandy's rampage >

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Just a few miles from Manhattan, the residents of Moonachie, New Jersey thought they had escaped Sandy's wrath, until about 10:00 p.m. Monday night.

It was then that half-a-dozen levies gave way on the Hackensack River and the waters began pouring in.

Residents didn't stand a chance. They lost their vehicles, large portions of their homes, and cherished family heirlooms they never thought to secure.

Now days later and still without power or any idea when it will return — and with their streets still filled with water — the people of Moonachie feel frustrated and abandoned. Still they're working together to rebuild their town.

We drove out to Moonachie yesterday to take pictures and hear their stories.

Right off this main road about five miles from Manhattan, 2,700 people live in the borough of Moonachie

Moonachie is in the Hackensack River watershed and residents are accustomed to the occasional flood

But lifelong residents say they've never seen anything like what happened Monday night

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Sandy wreaked havoc throughout New York and New Jersey. 

When we visited New Jersey yesterday, gas lines stretched for miles, people were seeking electricity and Internet in malls, and one town was almost totally wiped out. 

With estimates of property damage as high as $20 billion, the Hoboken waterfront was among the hardest hit. Some of its piers have been totally destroyed and a whole boat even ended up on top of a pier. 

We spoke with one pier manager to see what happened and what will be done.

Produced by Daniel Goodman

Don't Miss: Our full on the ground coverage of Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath >

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It's said that on the high seas, the captain of a ship is his own king. But on this yacht, it's all about being the queen.

The 'Reina Del Mar,' or 'Queen of the Sea,' was built in 1985 and renovated in 2005. With room for eight guests and an asking price of €3.7 million ($4.75 million), the 103-foot yacht is an affordable luxury that will make its owners feel like royalty.

The 'Reina Del Mar' is for sale by Ocean Independence.

The 'Queen of the Sea' was once called the 'Tonga.'

Two diesel engines provide a relatively slow cruising speed of 11 knots.

There's room for eight guests in four cabins.

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For all of you aggressive New Yorkers still apartment hunting during the hurricane: this beautiful SoHo penthouse is for sale for $16 million. 

Most New Yorkers are calling SoHo, SoPo (South of Power), however, so we can't guarantee this pad has power right now.

The penthouse has three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, one half bath. 

The penthouse is on top of Jean Nouvel’s iconic 40 Mercer Street.

And spans 3,000 square feet.

The architect wanted to combine indoor and outdoor living.

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The crane that has been dangling over Midtown Manhattan since Monday's Hurricane Sandy will officially be taken down tomorrow, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Sandy's gusts of wind had toppled the crane off the glitzy One57 building, which is still under construction. Earlier this year, the building's penthouse sold for $90 million. 

The surrounding area was evacuated as a precaution to shield people from the crane, which has been hanging 1,000 feet in the air. 

According to The WSJ:

The plan calls for a worker to rotate the entire crane using a small hand crank, turning the damaged boom toward the building. Then cables would be used to secure the boom to 10- to 12-foot steel arms installed near the top of the condominium tower on West 57th Street.

Now tour the One57 building >

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The Abandoned Hurricane Victims Of New Jersey

Gas Lines And Power Outages Are The Smallest Problems

New Jersey Police Are Guarding Gas Stations

Sandy Completely Destroyed Hoboken Pier

Hoboken Sailboat Become A Symbol Of Global Warming

Sandy's Damage On New York's Upper West Side

Tension When Rich New Yorkers Went To A Shelter

A Night In Manhattan's 'Dark Zone' [PHOTOS]

Special thanks to Yepoka Yeebo for her contribution to this page.

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