The Jane Hotel

Built in 1908 as lodging for sailors, The Jane is one of those New York buildings where the history is baked into the walls. Survivors of the Titanic stayed here in 1912, before the building was taken over by the YMCA. Guests sleep in cruise ship-style cabin rooms — compact, maritime, and entirely intentional.

The hotel had a second act in the 1980s and 90s as a venue for the downtown rock scene, hosting events like Hedwig and the Angry Inch and the Million Dollar Club. For years, some of the original long-term sailor residents still lived there alongside paying guests — identifiable by the absence of key cards on their doors.

The lobby bar and the ballroom retain an old-timey atmosphere worth seeking out, and Café Gitane on the premises serves respectable French-Moroccan food. The hotel also maintained a policy of accepting art in exchange for drinks at the bar — a very New York arrangement.

Location: The Jane Hotel, 113 Jane Street