>>My brother stayed in a Days Inn in Manhattan several years ago and said that it was a dump. One expects chain motels like that to be uniform everywhere.
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>I'm usually staying at the Ramada, and the trappings are more or less the same as here on the beach - it's the size of the room which may differ. I think it's about 20-30 square feet shorter, and of course there's no terrace with ocean view :). And the price is usually around $90 for a weekday or $110 for weekend, practically the same as on the coast or even slightly less. Breakfast included. Well, whatever passes for breakfast there.

In case anyone is interested, I spent one night at the Carlton Arms on that trip. The place was covered just about everywhere with art, much of it graffiti-style or otherwise amateurish-looking. There was no elevator. The rooms had crummy furnishings. Shared bath rooms were several rooms sharing one very small bathroom and separate shower room. But I would be likely to stay there again. It was certainly different-looking. Although all the rooms permitted smoking and the carpets were ugly, the rooms smelled all right. The bed was serviceable. The plumbing worked. The neighborhood was safe and quiet. The air-conditioners, mounted in windows, muffled the street noise. I might pay the extra $15 next time for a room with bath, if available.

The hotel is a fairly short cab ride from Penn Station. By subway, it's down, over, and up, or up, over, and down, so the cab is a better option.