8. A Room at the Jane Hotel Originally Cost 25 Cents
Right on the border of the Meatpacking District and Greenwich Village, the Jane Hotel was built in 1908 as the American Seamen’s Friend Society Sailors’ Home and Institute. Back when the area was a bustling port, sailors would hop off the ships docked nearby and check into a room for just 25 cents a night (50 to 75 cents for officers). The Institute had all kinds of amenities, including a bowling alley, a swimming pool, and a restaurant in the basement.
Those amenities have been lost or turned into storage, but the hotel still offers affordable cabin-sized rooms inspired by the interiors of the ships that once docked nearby. Nowadays, visitors can hang out at the Old Rose restaurant, the rooftop bar in the tower, and the ballroom. It was restored in 2008 by Sean Goode and Eric MacPherson, who kept the character of the historic building designed by the architects behind Ellis Island.
