My first impression was pretty grim. Yes, the corridors are long and dingy, and even felt a bit threatening at first. And the room was ...... well, pretty run-down. The carpet did look more than a bit dingy, and the paint was peeling. But then I noticed something. No noise! Really, no noise, other than the all pervasive hum of ac that you get everywhere in NY. Yes, the view was dingy - the opposite wall. There was no point in pulling back the curtains. But the bed was comfy, and the sheets were clean, as were the towels. And it was cheap. Having lost the full cost of my stay in a nearby hotel when I had to cancel my trip a couple of weeks earlier as a result of an unexpected family death, I needed cheap. And, despite my initial misgivings about safety - I was travelling alone - I quickly realised that the place was full of people like me, who needed/wanted a cheap place to stay in New York.
The location was great, couldn't be more central. I was annoyed at the fact that one had to pay for the internet- surely that counts as a basic service these days. But free wifi was to be had in Bryant Park, a stones throw away, and much more aesthetically pleasing than the Carter anyway.
Yes, staff at the reception desk were a bit off-hand. But they did give me half-an-hours grace when checking out, which I really appreciated. And it was really easy to get from the Carter to JFK - cheaply - with the shuttle bus from the Port Authority which was just around the corner.
Hotel Carter has obviously seen better days. But there was something about it's grittiness that actually grew on me. It certainly felt like a real bit of New York, like something out of a black-and-white movie. And what can one expect, at the price?
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