Part 1/5 : Washington International Students Center, DC
Part 2/5 : Old City Philly House, Philadelphia
Part 3/5 : Greyhound
Part 4/5 : Airbnb @ Keri's apartment, New Haven
Part 5/5 : HI Boston
Feel free to click on any link to go to post that interest you the most. I really hope everyone can read all 5 posts. I know these are all long posts so I break them down so that readers can take a break after each post and return to the next post without problem.
Washington International Students Center, DC
After carrying our heavy duffel bags around for a whole evening, we couldn't wait to finally check in to the hostel. Locating the entrance of the hostel was a hassle because there is no sign board of any sort that indicates its existence. The entrance is a narrow glass door located in between two busy diners. The only shop sign is a paper smaller than half an A4 size paper with the name of the hostel stuck onto the glass door. On the next day we continue to walk pass and miss the entrance even though we already knew its exact location.
The hostel manager was straight to the business and didn't show any intention to initiate a friendly small chat with us. He only allowed us to settle payment in cash which was a bummer because I had to redraw money on the spot and I was charged with 5 dollars processing fee.
We booked a 6 persons mixed dorm. The room is packed with 3 bunk beds so there is very limited space to move around. The bed frame of our bunk bed was obviously rusted. What frightened me the most was the ceiling fan. It was way too close to my top bunk bed. I could touch the fan blade even when I sat on the inner side of the bed!!
Sleeping bags are strictly prohibited in the hostel. The pillow cases and bed sheets assigned to us were clean but quite worn and still a little damp from uneven drying. However it didn't result in a huge problem because the air conditioning was running 24-7 in the bedroom so the sheets dried pretty fast and we slept soundly.
Despite the mentioned negative details about the hostel, overall our stay was pleasant. With roughly more than 40 people packed in the upper 2 floors of a shop lots, I was surprised by the quiet atmosphere that we were able to enjoy for both mornings and nights. Everyone speaks softly and no disturbing drunk scene occurred even though canned alcohol is permitted in the hostel.
Besides that, I was amazed by the cleanliness of the bathrooms. Both the bathtub and the toilet bowl are nicely polished and there was no unpleasant smell lingering in the toilet. There are only 2 bathrooms to be shared by everyone but T and I didn't wait long to use the bathroom during the 2 days of our stay.
The kitchen was jam packed with all sort of food and there was a lot dirty dishes laying around at the sink. But we didn't use the kitchen much so it didn't affect us.
Overall I will still recommend Washington International Students Center to the selected others that are easy-going because of its strategic location. It is located at the heart of Adams Morgan, a must go place in DC for the good food and the fancy pubs.
Stay: 2 nights
Location: excellent
Staff: not friendly
Facility: pretty worn and requires upgrade maintenance
Overall rating: 4 out of 10
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