Santa Monica, CA: Hosteling International

Hostelling International Los Angeles

1436 Second Street, Santa Monica, CA

Hostelling is not something that Americans are very familiar with, but they are so practical for the basic traveler!  You don't need fancy amenities, just a clean bed, a shower, a potty, and a comfortable place to stay.  We stayed in a dorm that fit 8 women in total.   There were younger women, and even older, most from around the world.  Mostly Europeans, of course.  They are just more comfortable with this idea.  

I highly recommend staying in hostel, when a good one can be found, not only because of the cost, but the people that you meet.  

    Community Kitchen

Dining Center

Watching the Oscars :)

Breakfast in the morning :)

Boston & NYC: Hostel living

This was the first time I have ever stayed in the hostel... and the first time I have heard of ones in the USA.  I honestly did not know we had them in the USA. You share space, shower space, and toilets, like a dorm.  So, if you have survived dorm life, you will do fine...

 The first hostel we stayed in was the Friend Street Hostel in downtown Boston... and personally, I enjoyed my stay, granted, it was a hostel.  It was air-conditioned, clean, had wifi, a common area, and about 50.00/per person, per night.

  

The hostel had a cute café next door, which offered hostelers complementary coffee and breakfast.  

It was, however, right next to some bars that got pretty rowdy... and loud. And... one of the nights we were there, there was stabbing right outside... heard the screaming, saw the bloody guy... popo came... all of the above.  Despite that, I would definitely come back.  

The second hostel we stayed in was the Whitehouse Hotel- New York Hostel, and the quality, in comparison, was, well, lacking.  It was a safe/cleaner place to stay.... at around 50.00 per night, per person, but did not have free wifi, was dirtier, not all the rooms had lights, no plugs in the room, and just as noisy.

But... I got to sing West Side Story on a Fire Escape.... so I was happy.