Arriving at the Chelsea Hotel, Mapplethorpe sits in the lobby, pale and sickly, while Smith tries to negotiate a room for them. Someone told her that artists could sometimes get a room there "in exchange for art" (93). The first resident Smith and Mapplethorpe meet is Harry Smith, an artist and amateur anthropologist, who instantly takes a liking to the two. Harry waits for his friend, Peggy Biderman, hoping she'll buy him a meal. Harry asks Smith if she's sure she's not rich. Smith talks to Stanley Bard, the hotel manager, and says she has an advance from her employer and will give him artwork "worth far more than rent" (94). Bard accepts Smith's offer, though she thinks it's more because of her paycheck advance than their artwork. Smith and Mapplethorpe move into room 1017, "famous for being the smallest in the hotel" (95). It contains only a single bed, sink, mirror, small dresser, and a tiny black-and-white television that they never use.

A doctor in the hotel helps Mapplethorpe, who has "a high fever, trench mouth, impacted wisdom teeth, and gonorrhea" (95). The doctor tells Smith she needs to get shots, too, and they both have to register as having a communicable disease.