Dirt cheap NY

April 5, 2006 9:58 AM

Dirt cheap accommodation in New York city?

I will likely be working in NY for a month in June, and I would very much like to find skid row type accommodation. It's partly money, and partly experiential... ideally I would like to stay in a men's daily rate type hotel / flophouse, something just above shelter level, in a shitty part of town.

Problem is, obviously these sorts of places don't have websites for reservations with a credit card. I am hoping some of you good NY mefites can help me with some info... Prices? Availability? Location?

And, just pre-emptively, please don't tell me how this is dangerous and they'll be junkies and thieves and oh my, because I already know that, and am cool with it. It's one month, I am travelling without any expensive gear, etc.

posted by Meatbomb to travel & transportation (11 comments total)

This thread has a couple of suggestions.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:05 AM on April 5, 2006

This Book has a bunch of photos and profiles of folks living in Lower East Side flophouses. Specifics I don't know, but the truth of the matter is, it isn't really a "shitty part of town" (at least I hope not, I live there) you're about three blocks from Nolita, SoHo, the trendier part of the LES, etc. Oh and the newest dumb neighborhood name BelDel. I digress, the book is super cool and might be a good starting point for you.
posted by jrb223 at 10:11 AM on April 5, 2006

couchsurfing....have been a member for a few years and can say i love it....not for everyone....but something to keep in mind
posted by killyb at 10:14 AM on April 5, 2006

The dingy apartment that I live in often has rooms to rent at ridiculously cheap rates. But it's on the UWS, which is a nice neighborhood.
posted by bingo at 10:24 AM on April 5, 2006

Heh. These days the old flophouses are called "hostels" such as the famous Whitehouse which is now the Whitehouse hostel at $27 a night. Or the Aladdin in midtown which is also about $30 a night.

Sorry to undercut your sense of adventure but these places are not so much dangerous as they are small and disgusting. If you read the Alladdin reviews on Tripadvisor you can see that people complain about rats running through the rooms and shared bathrooms which are a step below gas station bathrooms.

There are a few flophouses on the Bowery but this article from the Village Voice should enlighten you as to your chances of actually getting a room.
posted by vacapinta at 10:34 AM on April 5, 2006

If you have any interest in Williamsburg (Brooklyn and one stop from the Lower East Side), you can look into this place. I always thought it'd be the last place I'd want to sleep, but maybe that means it fits your criteria. As a bonus, you'd be able to hear the JMZ train rumble past at all hours of the day and night.
posted by idest at 11:13 AM on April 5, 2006

I stayed here
posted by thirteenkiller at 11:13 AM on April 5, 2006

"Rates from $28 per night plus taxes depending on season.
Private rooms from $65 plus taxes..."

Holy shit, do the bums and winos make this kind of money? Where do the poor people sleep in NY?
posted by Meatbomb at 12:11 PM on April 5, 2006

The subway.
posted by CunningLinguist at 12:29 PM on April 5, 2006

Are you willing to try Jersey? I mistakenly stayed at the Hudson Motor Lodge on Route 440 in Jersey City one night after being locked out of my apartment (looooong story.) It was ten years ago, but I imagine that it is still a dangerous shithole. And, if I recall correctly, it was very inexpensive.
posted by drobot at 2:47 PM on April 5, 2006

Damn, idest beat me to The Glenwood. The pictures on that website sure make it look nice. Ahem. You did see the bit where it describes the "rooms" as having no ceilings and being just covered by "lattices"? Seriously, it looks like a great place to save scads of money, have easy access to Manhattan and the rest of Williamsburg and... if you do decide to stay there let's have a Williamsburg meetup so you can regale us all with horror stories and plead to crash on someone's floor instead. :-)
posted by Decani at 3:25 PM on April 5, 2006