I think the article describes the accommodations & lifestyle (minus the bus trips) for most young people fortunate enough to have any professional career. Everybody has to start at the bottom unless your last name is Trump, Carnegie or Rockefeller. I know I lived in some incredible dumps in Chicago, Albany, Buffalo, Philly, Hoboken and NYC but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything
After talking to a few minor leaguers, I came away thinking the major difference between minor league baseball players and everybody else is the amount of downtime and what they do with it. Some continue their education or learn new skills, and others have a lot of off the field fun. Many of them are bored when they are not playing.