As I said in my previous post, hostels are mostly for extreme hipsters or foreigners. Of the girls in my room, I think two of the nine of us were American. It was a little strange, and chances are I won't stay in one in America again, but it was kind of fun.
I chose the New York Loft Hostel
I chose this hostel partly because of location and partly because of the reviews. It seemed clean, popular, and fun, and it was right next to a subway entrance. It was actually pretty convenient, despite the fact that it was way in Brooklyn, about 40 minutes from where I needed to be.
When I first got off the subway stop and walked outside into the middle of Brooklyn at 6:00 AM, I started getting concerned. It was in a rather....unsafe looking part of town. I decided to make my way to the hostel, and if I felt bad about it still, I would find somewhere else to stay. Upon arriving at the hostel, I felt quite a bit better. You needed a key card to get into the building after hours, and they let me do a little bit of exploring before I checked in. I didn't actually explore much, but seeing the detail and amenities they had, I was feeling pretty ok.
I decided to stick it out and see what it was like later at night. The hostel was close enough to the subway that I figured it would be ok.
Turns out, walking around at night was a lot safer than walking around during the day! When I got off the subway around 10:00 PM, the streets were crowded with people my age. They were everywhere. Literally. It was great. I decided to stay, and I'm glad that I did.
The inside of my actual room was quite a bit different from the pictures they have online. I was expecting wood floors and bunk beds, but it ended up being more hospital dormitory style. Which was actually just fine with me. The floors were just cement, but the beds were clean and the cleaning staff came by every day. Also, I ended up being in a room with 8 other girls instead of 12.
The only part of the hostel that I really didn't enjoy was the fact that the other girls in my room practically ignored me. And it was super awkward. The last night I was there a girl showed up who immediately befriended me. We went out for pizza and it was quite an experience. I told her how awkward the other girls were and she didn't believe me. She tried to talk to them when we went back. They didn't engage. She was in disbelief and I just laughed. So I guess on the good side the total disregard of your bunkmates is uncommon. Crazy introverted girls staying in hostels? Not the norm.
All in all, I quite enjoyed the experience. Like I said, I probably won't stay in another hostel in America, but if and when I travel internationally, I think it will be a great option.
The reasons for staying in a hostel?
1-They cost less. Quite a bit less.
2-They create a great opportunity to network with other like-minded travelers.
3-They're generally clean and require little hassle.
4-They're designed for quick, easy travel.
5-You can often stay in them longer than a regular hotel if necessary.
And if nothing else, it's an interesting experience. Even for those of us who have lived with roomates, this is something entirely new.
Would you ever consider staying in a hostel? If yes, where would you travel? If no, what is the biggest deterrent?
weird! I thought they only had hostels in Europe
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