Various Colbert-related musings

CAUTION: Rates are approximate, and most do not include the 13.65% hotel tax. Check prices with hotels.

To my knowledge, all of these lodgings meet basic standards for cleanliness and safety. You might want to check out reviews on TripAdvisor or a similar site (just enter the name of the hotel, and maybe “New York,” into the Search box).

Midtown/Hell’s Kitchen

	Big Apple Hostel, 119 W. 45th, 212/302-2603 - $39 to share room with three others, $99+ for private room with cable TV, queen-size bed, and a safe. All baths are shared. Air-conditioning; shared kitchen. Can be noisy from street and courtyard, but safe, clean, and well run, and two blocks from Broadway theaters.
	West Side YMCA, 5 W. 63rd, 212/875-4100 - $76+. Swimming pool, air-conditioning, hall bath, no WiFi. (I stayed here and found the rooms depressingly small and plain, but they are some of the cheapest private rooms around, it’s safe and clean, and it has a great location next to Central Park and Lincoln Center.)
	Da Vinci Hotel, 244 W. 56th (a few blocks from “Colbert Report” studios), 212/489-4100 - $120+. Private bath, air-conditioning.
	Pod Hotel, 230 E. 51st (between 2nd and 3rd), 800/742-5945 - $129+. High-tech: Free WiFi, cable LCD-TV, iPod docking station. Shared bath with rainhead showers. Smoke-free.

Murray Hill

Murray Hill Inn, 143 E. 30th, 212/545-0879 - $129+. Private bath, cable TV, WiFi, air conditioning.

Chelsea

	Leo House (no website), 332 W. 23rd, 212/929-1010 - $70 shared bath, $80 private bath. Cable TV, air-conditioning.
	Chelsea Center Hostel, 313 W. 29th, 212/643-0214 - $35 for shared room (sleeps 6-12). Small and quiet.
	Chelsea International Hostel, 251 W. 20th, 212/647-0010 - $30-$34 for dorms, $70 for private rooms. Shared baths.
	Colonial House Inn, 318 W. 22nd, 800/689-3779 - $85+. Shared bath; gay-owned. Continental breakfast.
	Chelsea Lodge, 318 W. 20th, 800/373-1116 - $119+. Shared bath. Cable TV, WiFi, air conditioning.

Union Square/Gramercy Park

Penington Friends House, 215 E. 15th, 212/673-1730 - $80 single. Cable TV/VCR in common area; sundeck. (Very small - only two guestrooms.)

Seafarers & Intl House, 123 E. 15th, 212/677-4800 - $80 single with shared bath, $129 double with private bath. Cable TV, air conditioning, smoke-free.

Greenwich Village

Larchmont Hotel, 27 W. 11th (btwn 5th & 6th), 212/989-9333 - $89+ single with shared bath. Air-conditioning, continental breakfast.

East Village

East Village Bed & Coffee, 110 Avenue C, 917/816-0071 - $99+. Pension-style with shared bathrooms; pet dog on premises.

Rent a room from a New Yorker 

	City Sonnet (agency) - $105-$140/night as of May 2007.
	At Home in New York (agency) - $75-100 (single)/night
	“Stay with Jon” (individual; Lower East Side) - $700/week