Redefining the West Coast hostel in the age of the savvy travelette.

Artful lodgers have long sought after the ultra cool hostels of Berlin, Lisbon and Copenhagen, which clearly defy the dingy dorm image of sharing bath and bunk with questionable hobos. Travelettes, one of a number of websites now catering to the new hostel traveler, tells us the gap between these low budget accommodations and certain boutique hotels can be very slim, while “providing you with a high quality stay and a full wallet.”

The trend in locating those quality, $35- a -night pads and pods is spreading to the West Coast as backpackers in high heels and urban minimalists in Olukai flipflops take advantage of the sexy year-round rates as globetrotters grapple with the broken economy.

Here are a few favorites on the coast rounded up by thrifty city nomads on the go:

Stay on Main, Los Angeles, CA

Considered the hippest hostel in downtown L.A., the Stay on Main hostel is a hotel within The Cecil Hotel and renovated from a bare bones dorm to mod Scandinavian style in 2008 to attract a wide range of travelers. A short walk to the jewelry district and flower mart and a short bus ride to Hollywood, USC or Santa Monica beach, it boasts a menu of accommodations including: continental breakfast and complimentary wifi in public areas, flat screen TV’s in the rooms , a community kitchenette and rentable lockers.

(Runs $35 for dorm beds for backpackers to $65 for a twin or queen with shared facilities and $85 for a private queen or twin.)

“We offer the best value in the city,” offers sales manager Hosselyn Castro, who adds you can book months ahead or on 24-hours notice. How do you know you won’t have to bunk with eccentric strangerss? “We have our way of screening,” Castro assures.

636 South Main Street, Los Angeles, CA 90014: 213.213.7829

USA Hostels, San Francisco, CA

A recognized award winner in the world of hostel awards or Hoscars  (yes, this is a big deal in the industry), the USA Hostel in San Francisco is a happening hanging spot due to its groovy atmosphere, plush duvets, free popcorn for munching in its 50-seat theater and featured add-ons like wine and cheese, karaoke and quiz nights. Of course, the free all-you-can-flip pancakes and oatmeal and coffee keeps hungry travelers coming back for more.

(The 4-bed dorms go for $37.50 per night with shared baths. Located on Post Street with plenty of public transportation to get to Union Square and other destinations.)

711 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94109: 415.440.5600

The Pod Share, Hollywood, CA

Not to be a Hollywood hostel elitist, The Pod Share crowd insists they are not running a hostel but “a platform, an incubator, a globalization stimulation.” More apt, these nightly nooks are coined “Bento Boxes of goodness.” Safe, private and easy are the buzz words attracting guests to the property which holds ten at a given time. Situated at Hollywood and Vine, The pods feature three walls to wrap around your Tokyo-scale 90″ long x 50″ wide x 5 ft-high nest feathered with a foam mattress and pillows and chalk board moldings for marking your stay. Flat screens in the rooms, a slick, modern kitchen and wifi/computer access keeps it real, but guests must follow the four rules of pod politeness: no crumbly chips, awkward sex or outlawed smoke in your pod.

(At roughly $35 a night depending on which box you hole up in, it truly delivers as the pod for the mod squad.)

1617 Cosmo Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028.213.973.7741

USA Hostels, San Diego, CA

Bright doesn’t quite cover it when it comes to this USA Hostel San Diego, earning ratings in everything from character to security to sand and surf location and cleanliness. This plus the lure of the new privacy pods with reading lights and the hot surfer dudes congregating on leather settees in the distinctive South of the Border mezzanine. This is the Gaslamp district’s best kept secret for communal lodging plus Tuesday $2 Tacos and Margarita nights and Saturday Tijuana tours.

(A private bedroom with shared bath is only $40 per night on the weekend; If you can take a bit more chatter, a 6-bed female dorm is $32.)

726 5th Avenue, San Diego, CA 1.800.438.8622; local 619.232-3100

Elements Hotel,  San Francisco, CA

Touted as gay friendly and emerging pretty flashy as hostels go, the renovated Elements is clean and modern, situated in the indie foodie Mission District of San Francisco, walking distance to ethnic eateries, shops and nightlife – and for venturing out, it is smack in the transit corridor between Bart and three major bus lines. A major attraction is the rooftop lounge with a 360 degree view of the city, along with the mezzanine lounge and balcony. Guests may partake in free movie nights and high speed internet.

(Functioning more like a reasonably priced boutique hotel than hostel, it offers private spaces, starting at around $75 per night.)

2515 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA; 415.647.4100

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, Pescadero, CA

More earthy- crunchy than the new pack of haute hostels, at least this one is on the sustainable track and rated one of the hippest of the greenest  by Treehugger. Hey, at least they can get away promoting “the most spectacular hot tub on earth.” Scenic beyond the panoramic views of the Pacific from its perch on a cliff on the central coast (a mere 50 miles south of San Francisco), the shared or private rooms are found in the restored lighthouse keeper’s quarters. The green certified hostel offers the usual good stuff, from cozy indoor/outdoor lounges, fully equipped kitchens to satellite Internet, free WiFi and free parking.

(Rates start at $25 a night and when you aren’t gazing up at one of the tallest lighthouses around, you can whale watch in season or explore the Pescadero Marsh.)

210 Pigeon Point Road, Pescadero, CA 94060; 650.879.0633.

Main Image: StayonMain

The post California Redefines Hostels for the Urban Minimalist appeared first on EcoSalon.

You corner a tight table for one – for you and who else? Your loyal laptop or other wireless device, of course.

If you haven’t noticed, the Neoprene sleeve is emerging as the new evening bag for an increasing number of singles. Yep, the gadget that has evolved into a fifth limb is perhaps the most accessible date we can score for Saturday night drinks,  Sunday brunch and midweek caffeine rushes in makeshift offices. “Busy? “No, baby, you can turn me on anytime. Just say the password! Yahoo!”

While the debate rages over whether restaurants should ban or restrict WiFi users, the public display of affliction is everywhere, from chichi downtown bistros in Dallas (a Lemon Drop for you, a refresh button for your Pro) to buzzing coffee bars in Seattle where users can catch up while sipping a skinny something.

Call it a cult phenomenon of a society that has never been more disconnected emotionally. Not long ago, we relied on that soiled paperback in the shoulder bag or crumpled newspaper rolled up in the back pocket to join us at our tables. Nobody threatened to take those away unlike the current climate of cafes taking WiFi off their menus, as noted in the Los Angeles Times.

Is it rude to be glued to the screen and to occupy tables once your meal is through? Well, as far as conducting our business in public, we can agree a gal with her Macbook is much less a social pariah than, say, a dude in a neighboring booth carrying on a painfully audible, one-way, cell phone conversation. “Oh, yeah, for sure, she stood me up, and like, I’m so hella horny!”

Accepting we are often lost without our laptops to lean on when going solo on the town – it is good to know about happening nodes to hang with our gadgets – apart from the typical coffee house in the hood.

Here are some savvy suggestions:

The Summit, 780 Valencia Street, San Francisco

Showcasing the play of sweet and savory pulled off by noted pastry chefs (such as Gabriel Mitchell known as the “sugar pimp”), this art space in the Mission also attracts like minded connoisseurs who also devour displays of applied arts of industrial, graphic and textile design. “Oy, me and my laptop are getting so cultured!”

Oddfellows Cafe and Bar, 1525 10th Street, Seattle

A hippified 1908 dining hall, this fave watering hole where cocktails come in Grandma’s glassware and where mac and cheese and pork nuggets pass for gourmet is familiar MacBook territory day and night. Hey, it’s Seattle. Enough said.

Intellegtsia Cafe, 1331 Abbot Kinney Blvd.,Venice Beach

Okay, so it does classify as a coffee bar, but this one features few tables but ample open space with stadium concrete steps and cushions to sit on with your device and sip possibly the best cappuccino or coffee-by-the-cup in L.A. (purchased directly from growers), along with tasty croissants and other treats. Described as a cross between a chemistry lab and a high tech Italian cafe, you will enjoy the personalized one-on-one barista service prior to connecting.

Camera Cafe, 44 Museum Street, London

No honey, but in need of a honey latte on a blustery day; then take your laptop to this WiFi friendly and highly quirky cafe in the Bloomsbury area. It serves a variety of cakes, sandwiches and snacks, and plays French music to tourists and regulars. Unlike the typical coffee house, the front room features a shop packed with second-hand cameras lovingly restored. Inside the cafe, photos hung at funky angles cover the walls, adding a bit of Parisian eccentricity to the scene.

Marvelous Market, 1511 Connecticut Ave., Washington DC

Included in a blog on one of the safest places in Washington for meeting other geeks, this epicurean haunt open breakfast through dinner serves up the range from potent coffee and teas to exotic imported cheeses, salamis and olives. You will even find tempting Passover brownies, as depicted by one loyal taker. There are a variety of locations in the nation’s capital, but Dupont Circle seems to attract more of the laptop hounds. “Computer use is part of our business,” one of the managers tells me. “We are just happy to offer a nice place to sit and unwind or do what you need to do.”

Images: Serious Eats, The SummitSF, Tomatogeezer, Intelligentisa, Another Photograph, Wiredwitch

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“A week without your computer, are you going to be okay?”

I raised my eyebrows and shook my head; sometimes people just don’t get it. Yes, I was about to take off and leave my computer sitting right where it deserved to sit: on my desk. No, I was not going to live-tweet about my trip or post pictures on Facebook. I was going to take six whole days off from the technical world, not even my cell phone was going to get turned on, and I was going to be just fine.

A New York Times article that I read almost a year ago has stuck with me, and I’ve cited it in several conversations regarding our inability to truly disconnect. Titled “On Vacation and Looking For WiFi,” the central topic hits a little too close to home, but raises an important point: we have created a society where we are so connected that we have practically made it impossible to ever truly pull ourselves away.

Five years ago, in Barbados, none of us consulted a computer. Three years ago, in Costa Rica, a few family members walked to an Internet cafe and checked our e-mail one afternoon just for the novelty of being online in a faraway place.

This year I stood in a long line in the lobby of this resort in the Dominican Republic, to wait my turn to sign up for 25 hours of Internet service for $25. Several family members brought laptops and we checked our work email daily.

It’s not about keeping in touch with what’s going on; no matter where you are in the world you probably have access to a newspaper, even if it’s a few days old. The fear of disconnecting stems from our need to be in control. What if an important email comes in while we’re out and we don’t get to it? What if the person needs an immediate response?

Well, what if? We’ve somehow traded our ability to trust that other people can handle themselves, answer their own questions, and even learn to wait if they can’t get an immediate response for the false sense of security that comes from thinking that we can always be in control.

Two days into a week-long stay in Mexico and those questions seemed very far away. Insignificant even.

Little did I know that while I was contemplating how unimportant all the stuff I had left really was, the document I had diligently prepared for my business partner and emailed to her at 1 a.m. – a document which included all that needed to be done while I was out – was in fact the wrong one. An attempt at making myself feel in control, yet slightly failing in the process. But, like any sound, intelligent human being, she called my neighbor, got let into my apartment and sent the document to herself from my computer. Smart woman.

Meanwhile – my everyday virtual duties switched for overlooking the ocean – I wrote in my journal:

Disconnecting. A whole week of it. And what does it remind me? That most of what we do isn’t that important. The constant updates, the information overload. In the end, we can turn it all off. In fact, it’s easier than we lead ourselves to believe.

So what can’t we turn off? Feelings, emotions, creativity… those the the things that are always there, often impended by our everyday routine that we deem necessary.

It’s easy to overlook the things that make us feel alive, to quickly get out of balance. But in taking time to slow down, we remember how to find that balance.

We can’t give up our jobs and we can’t give up email. To be an active citizen, we have to be educated, so we can’t give up consuming information. I would never argue for any of the above. But we can take time to assess how much of all of these things is healthy.

We can take time to focus on the slower activities that cultivate our friendships, our emotions and our creativity. Drawing, writing, traveling, walking, cooking, talking, sitting, thinking – all those good things that we often put into the “quality of life” category.

And as for that creative inspiration that only comes when I myself truly disconnect? Here are some Mexico photos.

Images: Anna Brones

The post No Ifs or Buts About It: Why We Have to Disconnect appeared first on EcoSalon.