Good morning and welcome to the weekend. Saturday’s a pretty rotten day with wintry rain and even the chance of thunder. However, the sun returns on Sunday to bring us a beautiful, bright spring day with a high of 60 degrees.

Six people have been charged in connection with the robbery and murder of Julio Ramirez and John Umberger. Read more…

Julio Ramirez and John Umberger

Here’s the rest of the Hell’s Kitchen news this week…

Hell’s Kitchen entrepreneur and author Peter Shankman has a “fast brain” and he’s put it to good use with a book that shows kids that ADHD is “a gift, not a curse.” Read more…

Peter-Shankman

A visit to a Broadway musical at age five set actor Erika Longo on the road to show business. The Hell’s Kitchen resident feels right at home in the neighborhood — and has even appeared in Law & Order: SVURead her West Side Story…

Erika Longo on Law & Order SVU set with Mariska Hargitay

“I ❤️ NY” has become “We ❤️ NYC” as the city announced a new civic campaign to encourage community engagement and highlight the Big Apple’s most dedicated “do-ers” — including our very own Hell’s Kitchen Hero, Litter Legion founder Catie Savage. Read more… 

Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams launch We Love New York Campaign

He may have only lived in Hell’s Kitchen since 2021, but Paul Gealone is a familiar face in the neighborhood — he recently des(s)erted Amy’s Bread for Hershey’s after 10 years of working at the popular bakery. Read Paul’s West Side Story…

Paul Gealone and Amy Scherber at Amy's Bread

The long-awaited 9th Avenue “super sidewalk” and bike lane extension officially opened this week. Local leaders and pedestrian safety advocates gathered to celebrate the newly completed throughway, while Hell’s Kitchen residents highlighted a need for more protected lanes across the neighborhood. Read more…

Erik Bottcher on bike

Brian Bustos is a Broadway costume designer and the Chief Creative Officer of LaDuca Shoes. Originally from New Mexico, he has lived in Hell’s Kitchen for 14 years and enjoys the neighborhood’s excitement and energy. Read Brian’s West Side Story…

Brian Bustos LaDuca Shoes

From restrooms to tree beds, the chance to vote for $1 million in funding for West Side projects is back again. Read more…

Mathews-Palmer Playground Toilet Bloci

Born and raised in Hawaii, Mary Jane Livingston has lived in New York for eight years and uses her dentistry training for charity work abroad. Read Mary Jane’s West Side Story…

Mary Jane Livingstone

Check out Sarah’s latest edition of “Make Way for the Weekend” for ideas of what to do to round off the week. Read more…

Alvin Ailey

Attention, caffeine fiends and Hell’s Kitchen happy hour-seekers — coffee-themed cocktails and high-quality java brewed with a mixologist’s eye have arrived at Coffee Project, taking over the former Ikebana Zen sushi restaurant space. Read more…

Coffee Project

Jeff Dyksterhouse’s Hell’s Kitchen journey began as a wide-eyed midwestern boy with just $300 to his name, to working on some of the biggest musicals of the late 80s and 90s, and finally settling down to becoming a successful neighborhood real estate broker. Read on for his West Side Story…

Circle Line Pup Cruise ZZ_PUP Jeff Dyksterhouse

What we’ve been reading

* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a 💰

Top cop says NYPD is parking illegally because there’s nowhere else to park. (amNY)

Doing construction work on New York City’s streets is complicated and costly. Here’s a solution… (RPA)

Midtown is making a comeback as a dining destination. (Barron’s)

“Train Daddy” is returning to manage Amtrak’s high-speed rail plans. (Gothamist)

On a roll… Should the host of The Daily Show keep changing? (New York Times💰)

Freeze Frame

Graffiti 11th Avenue

It’s been interesting walking Hell’s Kitchen’s streets after being away from the neighborhood for 5 months. One impression that I have is that the graffiti has got much worse. What do you think are the major challenges in the neighborhood at the moment?


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