So, I'm back. And behold: the White House Hotel!
Nicely painted, on the east side of the Bowery, just above Bleecker street. God, listen to me, throwing these names around. Going to New York for the first time feels like a homecoming, not because of any personal affinity, but because we've been hearing these names all our lives. When we finally visit for ourselves, they fit like so many gloves.
Anyway. The hostel is something else. Just as Shawn said, you get your own tiny little nun-cell, barely big enough for a squeaky single bed.
There's no roof, per se, but a garden-gazebo-type trellis above. I'm not sure what good it is, other than some sense of enclosure, but hey, I'll take that.
Anyway, the place is definitely a hostel, but based on that standard, it gets top scores. It's very clean (even the bathroom), the staff was friendly and professional, the location is fantastic, the price (USD$36 all in) is what it is, and even the drunken Australians were quiet at night. Come the morning, you get to listen to everyone else's discussions of what they did last night. If that doesn't suit, there's a Holiday Inn with your name on it.
So: cheers to Shawn Micallef. Truly a man of wisdom, integrity, and handy hostel tips.