The Jane Hotel

This concept boutique hotel was created by Sean MacPherson. The lobby is absolutely magnificent, with antique chandeliers, canopies, couches, arched windows, and moulded ceilings, which support a gigantic, gold disco ball. Strangely, the lobby jibes with the simple and very minimalist rooms, modeled after ship's cabins — no coincidence, since a sailors' hotel that once housed survivors of the Titanic stood on this site in olden days.

The rooms are small but quirkily stylish. You can barely turn around in them, but they're inexpensive, a combination has attracted hipsters and bohemians in search of new experiences in Manhattan. Most rooms are singles, meaning they're literally just a cabin with a narrow bed. On top of that, the bathrooms are shared, with one on each floor. That's right, no private bathrooms. If you're looking for more creature comforts, there are captain's apartments available with terraces that look out over the Hudson River.

The hotel is home to Café Gitane (there's a second in Nolita). It also offers complimentary bike rentals. You can bike along the river, and it's about a one-minute ride to the High Line.

The hotel hosts loud parties where experimental-types can experience the spirit of freedom for themselves.

Key info: The one-person cabins smell like smoke, as if the sailors from days of yore were still living there. Well, if you're going to experiment, you've got to go whole hog!

Cabins start at $125 per night.

Capitan's apartments start at $335 per night.

Tags: The Jane Hotel