e to assert that very
few Democrats now inscribe their names on its register, if they are free
to seek quarters elsewhere.

The misfortune of the Astor is that it is too far down town to be a
fashionable house. It is admirably located for merchants and others who
have business in the lower part of the city, and to whom time is of
value. A few old-time folks, who knew the house in its palmy days, still
stop there, and many whose political faith is in sympathy with that of
the proprietor, make it a matter of conscience to patronize the house,
and Colonel Stetson's well-earned popularity brings him other guests.
Although its glories have faded, the Astor is still a successful hotel,
but in popularity with the general public, it has long since been
eclipsed by the _up town hotels_.

The _St. Nicholas_ is one of the best houses in the city. It shows a
handsome marble front on Broadway, with a brown stone extension on the
same thoroughfare to Prince street, and extends back to Mercer street.
It is handsomely furnished, and is kept on a scale of comfort and
magnificence worthy of its fame. Its spacious halls and sitting-rooms,
on the street floor, furnish one of the most popular lounging places in
the city. Towards nightfall they are full to overflowing. The table is
said, by the lovers of good living, to be the best served of any house in
the city. The hotel is always full, and is very profitable to its
proprietors. It is said to pay better in proportion to its expenses than
any of its rivals. It is much liked by the Western people, who come here
in crowds. There is also a dashing element about its guests which gives
to it its peculiar reputation in the city. It is popularly believed to
be the headquarters of "Shoddy," and certain it is that one sees among
its habitues an immense number of flashily dressed, loud-voiced,
self-asserting people.

The _Metropolitan_ is a handsome brown stone edifice, situated at the
northeast corner of Broadway and Prince street. It extends back to
Crosby street, and has a frontage of about 300 feet on Broadway. It is
one of the most elegant hotels in the city, in every respect. It
contains about 400 rooms, and is always full. It is very popular with
army officers, with Californians and the people of the mining States and
Territories, as well as with the New Englanders. Capitalists and
railroad managers also have a fondness for it. "Shoddy" is to be seen
here also in great for