Not-So-Plain Jane
- The Jane’s Bar and Ballroom spaces- shabby chic throwback to the days of its history
The Jane Hotel, located in the West Village, has more going for it than just a cool website. It’s part of a re-emerging trend of micro hotels, primarily single occupancy rooms that are compared more closely to ship’s cabins than to the supersized suites in much of the rest of Manhattan. The hotel was built in 1908 and has lived several lives already, but has now been refurbished and reintroduced to the hip WV crowd as an inexpensive crash pad, and probably a great place to meet other adventuresome types.
- The rooms resemble ship’s cabins or train berths, and it seems you get what you pay for- not much!
For the low low price of around $80 on a weeknight, you can have a 50 square-foot room with a twin bed, luggage rack, wireless internet, ipod docking and a tiny TV. Bathrooms are communal, and located at the end of each hall. There is a slightly larger room option for couples with a queen or king bed, for which prices have not yet been listed. Families might have fun staying here just for kicks, but it’s aimed as an upscale version of a youth hostel, with great built-in nightlife.
The crowd in the ballroom area is all young and fairly good-looking. There was a higher than usual quotient of euro guys with ponytails, but the space is very cool. Reminiscent of a mix of The Box for the old-school burlesque feel (but sorry, no sex shows here), the Rose Bar for the lounge atmosphere and some aspects of the owners’ other venture, The Bowery Hotel, the space was packed and everyone was having a good time. The DJ there this weekend was doing little more than playing on an iPod, and it seemed that Michael Jackson was nearly the only order of the day but due to MJ mania this week, I’d let that slide and see what’s being played another week.
I myself have not had a chance to check out the rooms here, but it seems like if you need a place to stash some friends when they come visit for the weekend and your one-bedroom is already full, or if you’re looking for a spot to tryst with this month’s secret someone, this could be a fun place to visit. Don’t expect luxury- they list air conditioning as an “amenity” that you should feel privileged to recieve- and don’t pack heavy, since there’s nowhere to put anything. Try to put aside your notions of what you think a hotel should be, just bring yourself and your party shoes and come hang out- that’s what everyone else is doing!
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Kristie Huang is a recent college grad, attempting to find a solid career in the recession, while remaining as put-together and on top of trends as always.
www.facebook.com/kristiehuang
July 1st, 2009 at 1:43 am
Who are you people?! Really. Are you THAT detached from the rest of the world? This blog is exactly why the rest of the world hates Americans. In the face of serious financial issues in this country, this blog is shameful. Shameful. It should be forwarded to Rachel Maddow. I wonder what she would say about it? Nothing nice, I’m sure.
July 1st, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Hey AmazeMeNot- Thanks for your comments. While we fully understand all that is going on in the world right now, we know that sometimes laughter and amusement are the best medicine. Making lemonade from lemons, and whatnot. We’re not tackling the serious issues here, just giving people a way to take their minds off of it for a bit! Thanks for checking in
July 10th, 2009 at 11:30 pm
Yeah, Marie Antoinette threw parties to make people laugh. Trust me, I get it. I don’t like it. It’s insensitive and out of touch with people who REALLY understand poverty and being poor.
July 27th, 2009 at 5:52 am
Great blog. Thanks for the interesting article. Will send others your way.