Checking into "The Dirtiest Hotel in America"

TripAdvisor, a popular site where hotel guests review places they've stayed, has released its list of the 2009 Dirtiest Hotels. The results make you queasy enough when you read them on your computer monitor. But a blogger from our sister site, Gadling, took the brave step of checking into the "dirtiest" winner, New York City's Hotel Carter, to see just how bad it was.

His tools weren't what you'd call scientific. No lab equipment, no swabs or petri dishes -- just a home-made hazmat suit and a mask for comic effect, and a blacklight that would reveal any bodily spillage. Not doing lab work is a bit unfair to a place that holds the title of "Dirtiest," but the blogger confirmed what he could: That the Hotel Carter is off-the-scale grim. Anyone can tell at a glance that the "sorrowful" Hotel Carter, although apparently feces-free, is nowhere you'd even want to spend the night, let alone a dollar. That is, unless you consider "crusty brown spots," a "dirty vent," and "the perfect place to commit suicide" to be amenities.