1975: First Class Accomodations on the Bowery

"I might be a dishwasher up in the mountains but I'll tell you something...In New York I go strictly first class..."
(Photo by Michael D. Zettler)

The above photo originally appeared in the long-out-of-print book "The Bowery" by Michael D. Zettler (1975). The book is a stunning B&W photographic look at conditions on the Bowery circa 1974-1975.

In the above photo, a man, with suitcase in hand, walks south along the Bowery. Destination: The Palace Hotel - in his mind, first class digs. One wonders what his usual arrangements were if he thought the Palace was "first class." Just beyond the man and above his head is the new, white, graffitti-free awning that hangs over the doorway of the neighboring CBGB, which had been open for just over a year at the time the photo was taken.