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.
I read about how nasty this hotel is....gross! but the broken crack pipe glass??!! wow....and can you imagine the BEDS!!!!??
ReplyDeleteIt freaks me out staying in hotels....the nastiness.
and you can come to my house and pig out with me anytime.!!
XOXOXOX
Dixie Carter?! Hah! Put the 2 names together and you get a drag queen or a Designing Woman! Perfect!
ReplyDeleteWhat a good seedy walk down memory lane. You know I do miss the old Times Square, not that I could walk down there with my kids but I think the new Times Square is part of my huge dislike of Mr. Rudy. Part of NY is missing for me.
ReplyDeleteOf course that hotel is just nasty. I hate sleeping in hotel best. I'm so Barbara Streisand like that.
cool post. i love your posts about NYC...keep them coming.
ReplyDeleteMiss Ginger Grant you are fab! Such a good southern lady to have thought of Desiging Womens wonderful Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter(.
I used to work in a hotel and after seeing some of the things I saw, I almost want to travel with my own sheets, blankets, pillows, towels.......beds, floors, wall......Oh hell, I'll just stay home!
ReplyDeleteOh another golden oldie. I was just about to ask whatever happened to the old Hotel Dixie when your post explained it. I remember the Taft wasn't too cool either. Is that still there? I think even a tourist knew what they were in for when they booked the Dixie. There were no real victims there.
ReplyDeleteI worked hotels in Atlantic City- the smell of mold and ancient carpets were horrible. Then came the big tear down of the whole single block along the boardwalk and all the new hotels.
HA - funny.
ReplyDeleteThen there's also the bedbug epidemic in hotels. I love to travel but got creeped out about hotels quite some time ago and won't touch the top of the bedspread except to turn it down immediately. Now I can worry about the sheets, etc, too. I won't walk on the carpets barefooted either.
ReplyDeleteI thought about Dixie Carter, too, and loved that show!