Squats - Sedona Hostel
Squats - Hostel Sedona [Closed]: Sedona, Arizona draws in travelers from all around the world. When I was there in 2004, there was a shaman named Andre staying in the hostel who'd come all the way from Russia. I haven't checked the world map in the last few hours, but, when last I checked, Russia wasn't what you'd call "in walking distance" from Sedona. I don't know though... opinions vary.
Sedona once had a hostel. It was real. I saw it. Hell, I even have a picture... a very, very bad quality picture. I'll be sure to assail you with that here in a bit. But that's not the point. The point is that they once had a hostel. While it was everything that you would want in a hostel, it was faced with two hard facts: no buses or other means of transport bring travelers into the city who would normally stay at a hostel; and, the amount of traffic it did draw wasn't enough to compete with escalating land prices. Just months after I left in '04, the hostel shut its doors for good. Until there's a commuter line into the city, it's unlikely that another hostel will have an easy time of replacing it.
You can't miss the place where it once stood. When you're coming up from I17, it was on the left side of the hill just before the intersection where you'd either turn towards Flagstaff or Cottonwood. With the dining room doubling as a party area, and with no curfew, almost every conversation quickly became animated and would carry on into the long hours of the night. As with every hostel, travelers would gather to share tips and stories from the day... before making plans for the day to come. Anyone who's been to Sedona knows that a day can be spent bouldering, browsing art, writing at a cafe or just listening to live music. There's always plenty to talk about with other travelers.
As stated in my previous post on Sedona, there are still legal boondocking sites where you can pitch a tent or park a car for the night. That's no replacement for what you'll find in a hostel, but it definitely covers the budget side of things. There are some boondocking sites listed [Here on The Wandering Hobo]. With Jerome just a hitch away, and with the natural artistic richness in Sedona, it gives us alternative travelers a remaining foothold into the city.
...now, about that photo I mentioned. It was taken with a disposable and it hasn't traveled well, but here's a shot from the back patio of the hostel:
Related Posts:
• The Last Hole in a Sedonan Wall
Song of the Day Westy - Cosmos [Click to Download]
"Cosmos" by Westy
Sedona once had a hostel. It was real. I saw it. Hell, I even have a picture... a very, very bad quality picture. I'll be sure to assail you with that here in a bit. But that's not the point. The point is that they once had a hostel. While it was everything that you would want in a hostel, it was faced with two hard facts: no buses or other means of transport bring travelers into the city who would normally stay at a hostel; and, the amount of traffic it did draw wasn't enough to compete with escalating land prices. Just months after I left in '04, the hostel shut its doors for good. Until there's a commuter line into the city, it's unlikely that another hostel will have an easy time of replacing it.
You can't miss the place where it once stood. When you're coming up from I17, it was on the left side of the hill just before the intersection where you'd either turn towards Flagstaff or Cottonwood. With the dining room doubling as a party area, and with no curfew, almost every conversation quickly became animated and would carry on into the long hours of the night. As with every hostel, travelers would gather to share tips and stories from the day... before making plans for the day to come. Anyone who's been to Sedona knows that a day can be spent bouldering, browsing art, writing at a cafe or just listening to live music. There's always plenty to talk about with other travelers.
As stated in my previous post on Sedona, there are still legal boondocking sites where you can pitch a tent or park a car for the night. That's no replacement for what you'll find in a hostel, but it definitely covers the budget side of things. There are some boondocking sites listed [Here on The Wandering Hobo]. With Jerome just a hitch away, and with the natural artistic richness in Sedona, it gives us alternative travelers a remaining foothold into the city.
...now, about that photo I mentioned. It was taken with a disposable and it hasn't traveled well, but here's a shot from the back patio of the hostel:
Left to Right: Li, Ken, Mary
Related Posts:
• The Last Hole in a Sedonan Wall
Song of the Day Westy - Cosmos [Click to Download]
"Cosmos" by Westy
