A Hostel In NYC
Our plan for last weekend was to drive up to Montreal for a few days. We were to work Thursday night, though, and as the weekend approached, the idea of sleeping a few hours on Friday morning just to get up and drive 6-7 hours (depending on passport control at the border) for a two-night trip sounded less and less enjoyable. So, as of Monday we'd decided instead to spend a night in NYC, something we'd been talking about even before we left North Carolina to head up this way.
Something that we hadn't talked about was our accommodation in the city. Initially, we'd considered staying in a nice hotel, maybe checking out a show after eating at a fancy restaurant. Anybody who knows Jess and I, however, knows that we are really cheap (oh, yeah, she's cheap, at least as much as me). Considering that the HoJo (Howard Johnson, for those lucky enough to have avoided staying in such a hotel thus far) is more than $200 a night in NYC, there was little chance we'd be doing anything so fancy.
I've never been afraid of hostels, having seen some really bad dives in my day. I've been in places where the bedbugs put on full productions of Les Miserables, apparently including the cannonfire, on your back as you attempt to sleep. Jess, due to her association with me, has been exposed to such places; we both have fond memories of the hostel in Amsterdam that smelled something like a combination between a dirty gym bag and roadkill after they just cleaned it. Hey, backpackers stink, it's to be expected. Still, whenever I'd mention staying in a hostel in NYC to local folks up here, particularly those who were from NYC, I'd get a very skeptical look that progressed into a stunned, horrified expression when they realized I was serious.
I wasn't to be denied my cheap accommodations, though, so I searched the Net for the best possible place. Considering the reviews I found of nearly every place, even I almost changed my mind. In the end, I was steadfast in my frugality/stinginess, and eventually settled on a place called Jazz On The City. I decided on this place after exhaustive reading of the reviews of other hostels (most described some sort of insect infestation, and one was described as apparently being a homeless shelter from time to time, while another apparently is a homeless shelter). Reading all the reviews actually gave me a general sense of hostels in NYC, in that they are pretty scary, usually more of flophouse than a hostel. Still, I blazed on.
Good thing, too, because this hostel was really great. It smelled pretty good, considering the fact that stinky folks from all parts of the world were staying there. We were in a room with six beds, so we shared it with four other people. We had our own bathroom, though, a big bonus. The hostel itself was clean, had been recently repainted, and even had keycard locks on the door of our room. The complainers who left bad reviews on the Net obviously have not backpacked in Europe. You can't beat spending $45 a person after taxes, staying right in the middle of Manhattan, on a Friday night.
We didn't go to a show (whew), but we did have a great time. We arrived later in the afternoon, so we headed to Little Italy, and ended up eating at a great restaurant there. Afterward, we decided to walk up to the Empire State Building (it looked close on the map), and went to the top to see the city at night. That was a pretty touristy thing to do, but the view was worth the shame. We went back to the hostel afterward, for a few minutes, then headed back out into the surrounding neighborhood, even though it was almost 1 am by that point. We ended up staying out until after 4 am. There is nothing like NYC at 4 am, it is a great city. It truly never sleeps, and there is almost as much traffic (by foot and by car) as during the day.
We pretty much ate our way through the city on Saturday. After a delicious brunch, we cruised back through Little Italy, to pick up lattes and Italian deserts. Then we headed out to Chinatown. We didn't just stay on the touristy outskirts of Chinatown, either, where all the little shops selling miniature Statue of Liberties are. We delved right into the heart of Chinatown, where I'd gone during my last trip to NYC in July. Here they stop bothering to put English on their signs, they are mostly in Chinese. There are loads of little authentic shops selling foods and goods that only Chinese people understand the usage of, like dried fish, salted fruits, and many other items. It's like taking a quick trip to Hong Kong, there is that strong of a community and Chinese character there. It's my favorite part of NYC, which after seeing it with me, I think Jess might agree with as well.
Of course we ate our dinner in Chinatown, although it was at a Vietamese restaurant, oddly. Later in the evening, we slowly made our way back to Grand Central Station and on to Connecticut, and both of us felt a real sense of sadness as our train pulled out of Harlem and from the city, that this would be our last trip to NYC during this assignment. Jess loves the city, and I've grown fond of it over the summer as well. It is a fun, exciting city, and I'm glad that we were able to experience it even in its latest hours.
And I don't even have any bedbug bites.
Until next time, be safe.
Jess & I in Little Italy
