Vintage Vacation at Jane Hotel

The yellow cab turned onto a narrow cobble stone street. I stepped out and pulled my suitcase up a flight upstairs in the West Village. It was my 29th birthday and I was determined to do New York City affordably.

The Jane Hotel was perfect. Built in 1908 as a home for sailors and restored in 2008, the hotel was less than $120 per night, a price I could comfortably afford during my 3 night stay in Manhattan. The Jane was located close to my favorite shops and nightspots in the Meatpacking District and solid selection for my morning jog by the water. The Jane Hotel is known among savvy travelers as a very posh youth hostile, while locals love to dance in the Ballroom on weekends. I recommend the Jane Hotel for young tourists who don’t need to pay for privacy – just a cozy little bed and a closet to keep their suitcases.

The Room & Bath

A bellman, dressed in 1920’s costume, handed me a large exotic key for my room and I took the antique elevator to my floor. My room was a shockingly small with a twin sized bed, air conditioning and lamp. It was fine. After a dreadful red-eye flight, I needed to feel like I was in a cave and I liked that I could extinguish all the sunlight from my tiny window. I woke up four or five hours later feeling better.

But, when I went to the communal bathroom, I was surprised by the, ah, intimacy. The stalls and showers were co-ed! I was going to have to bathe, pee, and poop in the presence of random MEN coming and going during my birthday. Oh no!

The Restaurant

I made my way to The Old Rose Cafe for breakfast and sipped on orange juice. The restaurant overlooked the river and the bright, playful decor inspired me.

The Ballroom

I chose the Jane Hotel as my hotel of choice because I wanted to dance and drink without stumbling home on my birthday night. For a non-hotel guest, the line stretching out the door, but I breezed passed the bouncer with my hotel key to the Ball Room. I found my girlfriends upstairs at the bar. As we danced to Top 40 music and I found myself standing on a velvet couch, I had a flashback to when I was 21 and in college. I realized that I’d been clubbing at The Jane before. A man’s eyes lit up when I mentioned that I was a hotel guest; no one actually wanted to talk. I had officially outgrown this scene.

Nonetheless, I appreciated the care that went into the restoring the hotel. I spent my birthday weekend in the roaring 1920s.