NYC's Hotel Carter has been named the nation's dirtiest hotel three of the last four years by the travel website Tripadvisor (see story HERE).
Back in the late 80's, while still a poor college student, I stayed in the Hotel Carter (with my best friend) - and it was scary even way back then. I would have thought all the gentrification that has happened in Times Square would have made its way to the Carter - but apparently not.
I remember the television didn't work properly - which upset my TV-loving best friend. I also remember not being able to take my shoes off, because there was broken crack pipe glass on the floor. Seriously.
The Carter also had a convenient entrance to/from the extremely seedy block of 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (above) - home to dozens of porn theaters and other sex businesses until the mid-90's. This is how the cleaned up 42nd Street looks today (below). I like the porn better, it was much more fun than ice cream and caps. Or so I've heard...
The 700-room hotel opened on West 43rd Street in 1930 as the Hotel Dixie (above). After becoming the Hotel Carter, it became a homeless shelter and then a crappy tourist and/or "short stay" hooker hotel. Speaking of hookers, the infamous drag/tranny club - Sally's II - operated in the Dixie's old Plantation Bar/Restaurant (complete with murals of Southern Belles). This became the site of the annual Paris Is Burning drag ball, which was made famous by the award-winning documentary Paris is Burning in the early 90's.
Sally's would later be turned into Club New York - the site of the infamous shooting involving Sean "P Diddy" Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez.
This is a REAL sign from the hotel. I'm not sure it it's still there or not, but it was up for years. Sort of says it all...
Thanks to my girl Kitty Bradshaw for first bringing this to my attention.
Back in the late 80's, while still a poor college student, I stayed in the Hotel Carter (with my best friend) - and it was scary even way back then. I would have thought all the gentrification that has happened in Times Square would have made its way to the Carter - but apparently not.
I remember the television didn't work properly - which upset my TV-loving best friend. I also remember not being able to take my shoes off, because there was broken crack pipe glass on the floor. Seriously.
The Carter also had a convenient entrance to/from the extremely seedy block of 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues (above) - home to dozens of porn theaters and other sex businesses until the mid-90's. This is how the cleaned up 42nd Street looks today (below). I like the porn better, it was much more fun than ice cream and caps. Or so I've heard...
The 700-room hotel opened on West 43rd Street in 1930 as the Hotel Dixie (above). After becoming the Hotel Carter, it became a homeless shelter and then a crappy tourist and/or "short stay" hooker hotel. Speaking of hookers, the infamous drag/tranny club - Sally's II - operated in the Dixie's old Plantation Bar/Restaurant (complete with murals of Southern Belles). This became the site of the annual Paris Is Burning drag ball, which was made famous by the award-winning documentary Paris is Burning in the early 90's.
Sally's would later be turned into Club New York - the site of the infamous shooting involving Sean "P Diddy" Combs and his then-girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez.
This is a REAL sign from the hotel. I'm not sure it it's still there or not, but it was up for years. Sort of says it all...
Thanks to my girl Kitty Bradshaw for first bringing this to my attention.
