Hostels Set to Open on Both Coasts

By next summer, student-style travelers will be able to find accommodations in New York City for less than $20 a night.

New York’s first international youth hostel will be at 891 Amsterdam Ave. at West 103rd St. That’s one block from Broadway and the subway system.

Until now, young travelers on tight budgets have had to seek accommodations in hotels that often also cater to a variety of semi-permanent residents.

Because this building will be part of the American Youth Hostel network, it should have a different “travelers-only” atmosphere.

The system has 240 youth hostels. They provide low-cost accommodations to travelers of all ages, often in shared male or female dormitory rooms. Guests are limited to three-day stays at each location, unless the manager gives permission for a change. That rule helps to discourage non-visitors from using the system.

The $15-million New York City project involves converting a century-old, four-story structure into a 477-bed facility.

The building was created by Richard Morris Hunt, who is also known for designing the base of the Statue of Liberty and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Other Accommodations

In addition to budget accommodations the hostel will have conference rooms for nonprofit groups, a guest kitchen and cafeteria, a retail travel store, a public restaurant and an off-off-Broadway theater.

The hostel is expected to be finished by April. You can check by contacting the Metropolitan New York Council, 75 Spring St., New York 10012; or call (212) 431-7100.

Another gateway hostel is scheduled to open in Santa Monica in the city’s oldest structure, the Rapp Saloon.

The saloon, built in 1875, served as the first town hall, 1888-89, and was used by Vitagraph Studios as one of the first movie studios in Los Angeles, 1911-14.

Costing $4.5 million, the hostel will offer accommodations for $12 a night, guest kitchen facilities, a travel library, a travel center and private family rooms.

The building is at 1436 2nd St. That’s within walking distance of the beach and pier and about two blocks from regional bus lines, including a direct bus to Los Angeles International Airport.

For information, contact the Los Angeles Council, 357 East 7th St., San Pedro 90731, or call (213) 831-8846.

Each year the hostel group organizes economic holiday packages in the United States and abroad. Prices are low because the tours use youth hostel accommodations or camping facilities.

Most packages offer a variety of departures that let you choose between traveling with others your own age or with a mixed-age group.

Programs vary from horse packing and rafting in the Rocky Mountains to hiking in the Adirondacks and canoeing in Minnesota to cycling in the Rockies, New England or the Canadian Maritime Provinces.

This year a sailing program has been added. It’s a nine-day schooner tour from Boston with stops in Plymouth, Gloucester, Port Smith, Rockport and Marblehead before returning to Boston. The cost is $635.

For more details on trips, ask for a free copy of “AYH 1989 World Adventure Guide” from AYH Inc., Box 37613, Washington, D.C. 20013-7613.