There is a disturbing poem called Desire painted in large gold capitals on one wall and the sole

There is a disturbing poem called "Desire" painted in large gold capitals on one wall, and the sole window is covered with black velvet. While it might be the perfect setting for a very dirty weekend, 10B is hardly the kind of place you would want to stay in alone, unless your name is David Lynch.Up on floor D is the universe room, completely black save for luminous stars and silver architrave; 3C has purple walls, decorated with life- size silver body casts of a heavily-built woman. Also on this floor, the communal toilet (selected rooms have en-suite facilities) plays host to a magnificent mosaic, depicting Mammon toying with human souls. Meanwhile, 7A has a rather more approachable religious theme depicting angelic icons.This place is not for the faint-hearted. Most of the rooms are dusty, poky and unsuitable for children or the elderly, while those facing Lexington Avenue are noisy. Many will baulk at the tights, bras and knickers strung out on washing lines along the ground-floor corridor, not recognising them as part of the decor.Other common parts are equally garish - floor D is festooned with plastic fruits, bullrushes, tinsel, peacock feathers and coloured fairy lights; corridor C has a pop-art theme, while corridor B is comparatively restrained, with paint-spattered walls and sci-fi murals.The Carlton is remarkably cheap, given its location, and the service, while basic, is nothing if not friendly.

The management prides itself on an atmosphere that borders on the familial. Do not be put off by the sleazy image - despite its former reputation, there has not been a serious crime here for many years."I've read the original Seventies night diary," says Philippa, the English- born day manager, "and it was crazy. There were stabbings, fires caused by people free-basing coke, robberies in the hallways. But then, this district once had the highest rate of methadone clinics in the entire tri-state area."That was then. These days, the local neighbourhood of Murray Hill, like so many areas of Manhattan, is gradually being gentrified and though it would probably pain its owner to admit it, the Carlton Arms enjoys a curious kind of respectability.The Carlton Arms, 160 East 25th Street, New York, NY 10010 (001 212 679 0680) Room rates from $44 (pounds 27.85) per night..

The tiny hamlet of Bolinas, California, is the Howard Hughes of seaside towns: its reclusiveness is matched by its reputation for not encouraging visitors. Its inhabitants were arrested so often for taking down the signs that indicated the way that the town finally decided to have no signs at all. The only one remaining is an arrow pointing to tourist information - and it leads straight out of town. Further inquiry about this elicited disbelief that we even saw it: "That must be a joke.

We don't have a tourist information office." Yet Bolinas is less than an hour's drive north of San Francisco, along the winding and spectacularly beautiful coastal Highway One. With two restaurants, a bar, a tiny art gallery, a few little shops and one or two B&Bs, it has just enough services to be hospitable without being spoilt. During the week, it is possible to have the tiny sandy beach almost entirely to yourself - the only sounds those of waves breaking on the shore and the distant screams of gulls. There are no radios, no Frisbee players, no people frolicking in the (notoriously) cold water.Bolinas is the perfect hiding place.