1. You Could Pretty Much Stay at the Chelsea Hotel for Free

As recounted in Patti Smith‘s memoir, Just Kids, the musician heard that you could pay your rent in exchange for art. Smith recalls, “Everyone had something to offer and nobody seemed to have much money. Even the successful seemed to have just enough to live like extravagant bums. Although we can’t confirm that you could actually get into the hotel for free, we have a pretty good idea that the rent was next to nothing. As Arthur C. Clarke recalled, “there are no vacuum cleaners, no rules and shame.”

Next check out the Top 10 Secrets of the Dakota Apartments and Tracing the Patti Smith Trail in NYC from Tompkins Square Park to CBGB. Get in touch with the author @themaximalistny