At this divey art hotel, every inch of the interior is a canvas scrawled with artists' musings. Murals crawl up the five flights of stairs and into each of the uniquely decorated guest rooms, ranging from fantastical to downright horrifying (the helpful staff will let you pick your room). Rooms with shared bathrooms still have a small sink.
Rooms are comfy enough and attract an eclectic mix of guests, who don’t mind the rustic accommodations in exchange for big savings. There's no elevator, so prepare to work those legs. Rates drop significantly for winter travel between January and mid-March, but beware: the ancient heating system means some rooms swelter while others feel the chill at that time of year.
The Carlton Arms has gone through many incarnations during its 100 years as a hotel, from nights of subterfuge (the lobby was a speakeasy during Prohibition) to days of dereliction (as a refuge for addicts and prostitutes in the 1960s).