Parc Lincoln, Room 317, NYC

Room 317 at the Parc Lincoln Hotel (166 West 75th Street in Manhattan) is the first room I had for any length of time in New York. I was at the Parc Lincoln for about 9 months in 1990 and 1991. Before landing in Room 317 I was in room 1422 for a few weeks, and before that I stayed with college friends in New York and Philadelphia. Room 317 was a wretched, hot, roach-infested shithole. The Parc Lincoln has since been largely renovated to accommodate wealthy and celebrity residents, so I assume this room no longer exists as pictured here. I think about this room a lot. As miserable as it was, my life as I know it today began in room 317, and at the Parc Lincoln.