Suggestions for VERY cheap place to stay in Houston in medical center area
7In mid May I am headed to Houston to MD Anderson Cancer center for an apt. Most years (recently that is) I sleep in my car in the parking garage. I just don’t want to this year if I can help it. Sometimes I get lucky and can get free housing only this year the two places I know of that does this are requiring a care taker. Are you fucking crazy? A caretaker when I do not need of help??? Back when I had a decent income I used to stay at Extended Stay on Fannin because they have a free shuttle and a kitchen but the price there has gone up (and my income has gone down) so much I can’t afford it anymore. Rodeo, energy conference or some such stupid thing is in town at the fairgrounds (which is across the street from that hotel) then which complicates both finding something cheap (since hotels around there jack prices up) and something where I don’t have a horrific commute at 5am - I commute to that hotel and take their free shuttle to save on expensive parking.
Alternatively anyone (female) want 3 free nights (likely in Katy because the close place is likely full at this point - this is run by a non-profit and they have their own housing) to be my pretend caretaker where you can do whatever the heck you want while I do my usual crap there? I believe it is a situation of 1 bedroom, 2 beds, private bath, shared kitchen and shared living room, and likely some stupidity rules about not coming home at 2am…
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Houston and cheap are mutually exclusive.
Check the Days Inn on route 6. I’ve stayed there for 250/wk.
@cranky1950 Yeah I know they are mutually exclusive unfortunately. That is why I so often have slept in my car. Trouble is my ghetto van died of old age (it was a bit over 25, an engine bearing destructed) and what I have now is much more cramped.
Are you talking about the one on the north side of town where 6 and 45 meet, north of Houston at about 11:30 o’clock (this is only one I can find on 6 unless I missed the one you are talking about somewhere)? That one is about 25 miles north from where I’ll be (the medical center area is around 7 o’clock on the SW side of town inside of 610).
Going home won’t be a problem but I have to be there at 7am so will be trying to drive that in rush hour traffic. Had to do that once from Katy (about the same distance, same timing problem) and it took about 70 minutes. It lists $49 night before taxes so that is definitely a back up plan if I can’t find something closer. Thanks for the suggestion!
@Kidsandliz It’s the one southeastish of I-10 on route 6. I thought you were driving toward Katy. I was working in Sealy. You would need to be on the road at 5:30 traffic is a whole lot less ugly then.
@cranky1950 I am still not finding it. I see one in Katy on 10 near 6 at $50/night and around 27 miles from where I am going. Yeah I had concluded the one time I drove in from Katy that I needed to have left way sooner and just hang out at MDA and wait there rather than be trapped in 2 mph traffic. Is this the one you were talking about? The only one I see SE of 10 near 6 is Sugarland and it is $87/night so I doubt that is the one.
@Kidsandliz Nah it wasn’t in Sugarland, it was about a mile off I-10 on route 6. Maybe they changed since then.
@cranky1950 Hmm via google maps I can’t find it. I’ll have to look a different way.
Have you talked to anyone from the hospital about this recently? Sometimes some hotels have discounted prices for patients. There could be new options that weren’t available in the past.
@msklzannie is seriously right
The social workers should have information about low cost but safe accommodations. That’s one of their jobs.
@msklzannie @Cerridwyn Yes, thanks, I have the list from social work (they also have a link on the website). The cheapest things all require a caretaker and the waiting list is often long to get in (and/or you have to be there for a minimum of 2-3 weeks). My problem is being out of state I don’t qualify for most of the financial aid although income wise I would. The cheapest thing on that list with a free shuttle (and amazingly also has a kitchenette - which saves money as I bring food and then buy none) is Extended Stay on Fannin (although they are about negative 1 star but it is better than staying my car though and has the free shuttle - parking is something like $20/day). It is like $74 or 75 a night though (used to be $49 and then they allegedly redid the place - not that I can tell - and that is their excuse for raising the price, cleanliness is not their forte either).
I can’t help with accommodations, but I think you’re very lucky to be treated at Anderson. They are, literally, the best. Or, at least, highest rated.
It embarrasses me that I know this much about treatment centers, but when I saw your note I thought, "That sux, but at least you’re getting the best!"
Good luck!
@simssj Yes I am very lucky. They are about 450 miles from me. I was treated there for cancer #1 too (this is cancer #3). While they have the problem of too many patients and not enough support staff, people are generally nice and because they have so many patients the oncologists have the luxury of narrowly specializing, which is a huge benefit for patients.
You got dates?
Also: I don’t know the rules, but could you connect with someone else in treatment and “be each other’s caretakers”?
@f00l Nights of May 16th, 17th and 18th. Don’t know of anyone who will be there while I am there.
@Kidsandliz Off-topic response: I read WaPo and a lot of the comments on a lot of articles. I was stunned by what I read today and want to thank you for making “a problem for lots of people” into a “this is what it will do to a real, live, actual person.”
The Spouse and I will never have to worry about this particular situation, but we still fight hard politically to try to keep it from happening to protect others.
With luck other WaPo readers will “hear” the heart, soul, and courage in your words and be encouraged to do something as well.
@magic_cave You talking about the John Oliver article about the ads he is buying on Fox? I thought his idea was brilliant. I am surprised you even saw my comment though. Usually there are hundreds to thousands of comments. I read comments too, although I find it raises my stress levels too much to do so most of the time with respect to articles about the health (no you won’t have) care law they are trying to pass. Occasionally puts me in panic mode actually. As it is I am not sure I am going to make it through this entire year with insurance, not to mention the balances I am carrying where periodically various places either send me to collection, threaten to send me to collection or threaten to cut off care (I am making monthly payment, it is just my balance goes up faster than I can pay it down).
Glad you will never have to worry about being in the same situation I am. Actually I never thought I would be in this kind of situation either. Education, good job, worked since I was 14, saved money… I guess in the current climate I needed have been born into a wealthy family who doesn’t have to worry about the specifics of health insurance. Those 1 percenters can pay for the entire thing out of pocket because it amounts to just rounding error in their budget. Oops. I blew that one. LOL (not).
And thank you for trying to fix it for everyone.
@Kidsandliz
@magic_cave
I don’t want this to become a political flamethrower’s thread instead of a useful one, but I’m glad to have been pointed to that article.
@f00l My pleasure. Really.
It occurs to me that we’ve go-fund-me’d for a kitty. Could you set up an account?
@magic_cave She has one, but it’s tied to a real name, so email @kidsandliz if you want the link.
@magic_cave @dashcloud what I need to do is set up a youcaring one as the fees there are about half of the ones on gofundme. My email is my user name and yahoo
@Kidsandliz Thanks. Look for an email from me using a different name in a few minutes.
@magic_cave OK. Haven’t set up the youcaring yet… I guess I need to get my rear in gear. I am just too tired and discouraged… and my stupid car needed towed earlier today due to who knows what, it already needs brakes and the rotors resurfaced, and an oil change and air filters and wipers and who knows what else with what went on today - it is leaking something, engine is very loud and there is a whine (this sucker is 12 years old, where as the one it replaced was 25+ when it died almost 2 years ago so at least parts shouldn’t be that much of a problem)… sigh
@magic_cave OK this is really, really weird - got the email at yahoo, logged in via a different email and somehow the two are connected which I didn’t do so not sure how that happened. How did you do that|??? Email me so I can email you back please.
@Kidsandliz 3 emails to you.
@magic_cave Just emailed you back.
I looked on Priceline at their Express Deals. The cheapest very near the Medical area was around $60/night - but there were 2-stars hotels inside the loop for very little more than $40/night. (be aware that priceline adds substantial taxes and fees to the final price).
Have you considered AirBnB or similar? Or Craigslist, or Roommates.com (people wanting to have a housemate might rent you a very nice room for a few days, for less than you’d pay for a hotel.
Seems like there outta be some other options. Does Houston have a youth hostel? Have you tried contacting the YMCA in Houston? Or Catholic Charities or United Way? (Catholic Charities does not care about your religious attitudes and beliefs in the slightest).
@f00l I had not considered these places. I tend to roll in pretty late the night before so that might limit it if it is at people’s house. I have to take my cats 60 miles the wrong direction to a friend’s (they want me to bring them the day of not the night before) and never seem to get out at the crack of dawn. The list MD Anderson is pretty intensive and complete with respect to anything cheap and/or charity run so I hadn’t called around myself. They even have a camp ground on the list which has a shuttle no less, except you can’t sleep in a tent there (they rent, for a lot, cabins, RV spots are only marginally cheaper than a hotel…).
I searched on airbnb and found some rooms for 40 or less near the medical center. Some as low as $13. Good Luck!
@wiscmcb $13!!! Let me go look now… Thanks.
@wiscmcb Couldn’t find the $13 one. The $18 one isn’t available when I have my apts (I will have to check that one each time in the future as that is an ace deal and they even have a cat!, don’t mind if you get there after midnight…) and the $40 ones need a 15 day stay…, some of them are pulling the sneaky stunt of listing a one person price with required 2 person occupancy, some two person rooms (but don’t need two people for the price) but you share a double bed (not doing that with a stranger). Will take a while to see what is there and see if I can locate that $13 one. Thank you for searching.
@wiscmcb Agh! Everything cheap I have looked at so far is not available when I am there. I knew there was something going on then (not rodeo though as I just checked those dates) and this more or less confirms that. Sigh. I will keep looking. It may be car in the parking garage again this time which won’t kill me because it won’t be that hot, unlike last July OMG that was nasty. I did, after all, used to live in tents when I worked for outdoor adventure programs and cars in a parking garage are at least waterproof LOL
@Kidsandliz
Get the Priceline app on your phone. Put on your dates and Houston.
There is a 2 star place for your dates near Hobby airport for $34 a nite right now. You have to get to the “Express Deals” tan to see it. You won’t know the hotel till after you’ve paid.
It will be more than that - figure that Priceline’s fees will come to 10%-20%. But it’s there right now.
Incidentally, if you want the res, you pay now. Priceline charges you when you do the res, but they will show the total up front.
Or you can try bidding for a room even cheaper than that. Again, you pay upfront. There are ways to do more than 1 bid a day. You can set the minimum # of stars you will accept when you bid.
You have enough time that you could do a lot of bids. But i don’t think that $34 2 star room will stay available that long.
This $34 place is only 2 out of 5 stars but it’s undoubtedly better than sleeping in your car.
Good news. Finally found a place for $65/total (airbnb). I am sure they are out of housing code - 4 bunk beds in one room - but it is cheap, not too far away from where I need to be, and thus somewhat better than my car presuming there aren’t a bunch of people who snore.
@Kidsandliz
And actual showers and possibly coffee and wi-fi.
Please tell me they aren’t doing 4 people in bunk beds to a room.
@f00l They are doing 8 people in 4 bunkbeds in 1 bedroom of a 2 room condo, the couple who owns it is in the other room. As I said if codes and compliance, or possibly even the condo association, ever knows what they are up to they’d probably be told to cease and desist and fined for too many people and not enough space. It is cheap. Hopefully no one snores. I do plan to lock my suitcase or possibly leave it in the car. I certainly plan to sleep with my wallet and checkbook and lock it in my suitcase with a non-TSA compliant lock while I am in the apartment otherwise.
They have good reviews, well over 100 of them (and rent it out every day of the year and said usually 4-6 people a night - for some football thing they are renting it at $200/bed/night), so at least that part is OK. Clearly they are paying the rent? mortgage? doing this with money left over. At least they are only charging $10/person for cleaning instead of $50-60 which many of them are doing. Some of the bunkbeds beds are $10/night more than I am paying. Looking at the photo of the room I can’t figure out out why. They all look identical. Sardine city any way you look at it. Reminds me of working on a boat or staying in a mountain hut. European youth hostels though usually had more room than this despite many per room and bunkbeds.
I look at it from the point of view of: (1) shower, (2) microwave and (3) fridge without having to buy ice. Well and I guess (4) bed vs sleeping pad in a car and (5) they set the AC at night to 74 although this time of year is probably about the same as being in a car. Sleeping in my car in the parking garage would cost me only about $20 less so for $20 total it is worth the compromise of this vs car vs around $240 total for a hotel.
@Kidsandliz
I would consider putting my keys and wallet into a running belt or something to wear while sleeping. Just me.
@f00l I was going to sleep with that stuff, and my computer, between me and the wall.
For one person traveling cheap, vacationrentals.com, airbnb.com , and its cousins are a good resource. I am not sufficiently familiar with Houston to select for the area you are looking for, and I didn’t know your dates so I searched for May 15-20. This was the cheapest and looks pretty nice, $305 after all fees for 5 nights. Private room, breakfast included (sometimes these places have a one time cleaning fee but this is not showing in my search). Free wifi, washer and dryer, communal pool, says it’s close to the metro. Only one review but its 5 star. You have to do your due diligence with these sites as you are dealing with private persons but I have rented vacation properties large and small all over the US and internationally through several of these sites with never one single problem.
This B&B’s only $243 after all fees for five nights.
This one’s $282.
This one says it’s near the medical center and is a whole 2 bedroom house for $349, but there’s a $250 refundable damage deposit on top of that. It may be negotiable.
Oops, didn’t read down far enough to see you’d already found someplace. Congrats.