Bluesky City Center Hostel

Upon arriving at Bluesky Independent Hostel after a long flight, the hostel was deserted except for a sleeping person on a futon in the lounge. She turned out to be one of the staff, but there's no desk or other indication that you're where you need to be.

I checked my email -- the only free internet I found in Scotland -- while waiting for someone more alert to show up. The sleeping person finally woke up when some other people came into the room. The hostel had a record of my online booking and asked for a five-pound key deposit -- which gets you in the locked front door after hours. They don't let you retrieve your key deposit before 8 a.m., so if you have an early train/bus/plane, you need to get it the night before, which can be a hassle if you accidentally lock yourself out of your room when using the restroom in the middle of the night.

Except for the lounge, which looked like there had been some heavy drinking going on the night before, the hostel seemed clean. They have a free breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. -- toast and cereal, plenty of it -- but a tiny kitchen with only two small tables that maybe seat three people. There's enough room in there for a vending machine, though, which is nice since the nearest store is several blocks away.

The bathroom seemed even smaller -- two sinks, two toilets and two showers for the entire hostel -- one of the showers was downstairs). The passage where the sinks are is too narrow to walk past someone who's standing at the sink, so there are many traffic jams, especially in the morning.

My last night there, the owner came and cooked hamburgers for everyone. He brought beer and several salads, and everyone hung out on the front porch to talk. The hostel's area is pretty residential -- there are three Indian food restaurants within three blocks and the main library is nearby, but you have to cross over the freeway and walk around 10 minutes to get to a more lively area of town. The windows are kept open for circulation, and there was some traffic noise because the freeway is close, so don't forget your earplugs!

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