Bike Check, Horse Joy + This Week in HK

Good morning and welcome to the weekend. We saw that some of you made it to Coney Island yesterday. How did you get on with the lines of politicians waiting to get their picture taken on the rides?

From mid-April, Transportation Alternatives will be offering a Bike Valet service at Port Authority Bus Terminal. They promise it will be like “a coat check for bicycles”. Read more about keeping your wheels safe here…

While docking my Citi Bike at Port Authority yesterday morning, I spotted a couple of NYPD mounted police across the other side of W42nd Street. A lady with a walker started to call over to the officers. I witnessed a spontaneous moment of joy as Yvonne Saunders, 67, greeted NYPD police for the first time in over a year. Yvonne used to see Einstein and Officer Gresh (right) and Diesel and Officer Tomeo regularly before the pandemic.

Hell’s Kitchen student Jeremy Vazquez is a Junior at John Jay College, majoring in Criminal Justice. He is conducting a research project on how COVID-19 has affected crime in our neighborhood. He’s created a survey that asks a few questions and is completely anonymous. It will take just 2 minutes. Please help…

So here’s what’s been happening in Hell’s Kitchen this week.

Thanks to Richard Moore for spotting artist Stephen Bliss at work at the side of Kiehl’s on 9th Avenue. It’s great to see art appearing in the neighborhood. Just over on W47th Street is Dolly Parton by Captain Eyeliner — and if you look up above Kiehl’s you can see the fading glory of Sempe’s Bicycle cartoon.

Aside from the beautiful art, The Midtown North Precinct is starting a Graffiti Initiative on 9th Avenue. At 11am today they will be visiting NE Corner of West 47th St, SE Corner of West 48th St and SW Corner of West 48th St. We understand that Dolly is safe! More here…

She may have only moved to the neighborhood in 2018, but Priya Ahluwalia has taken Hell’s Kitchen to her heart. She has some great local recommendations too. Here’s Priya’s West Side Story.

Building super Regis Moore is now in Mount Sinai rehabilitation center after a brutal, unprovoked attack early last Saturday morning. We’ve all seen the video by now — truly awful. Regis has a history of picking himself up. You can trace his Hell’s Kitchen history, from being homeless and picking up cans to make ends meet in his 40s. In his 60s, he was hit by a car on 10th Avenue. This time he needs help getting back on his feet, please do consider giving something to his GoFundMe.

Simon Owens from The Business of Content wrote about W42ST’s pandemic pivot from a monthly print magazine to a digital daily newsletter. Here’s our backstory…

What would cause a person to leave a New York City shelter and try to find a place to sleep on the streets? It seems fear is the most common reason. We dig into a report on the city’s “unsheltered”. Read more…

W42ST has decided to show some love to the #StopAsianHate campaign. Until the end of April, we will be running free adverts alongside our stories at W42ST.nyc for local Asian-owned businesses.

We’ve compiled our list from Instagram. If we’ve missed any (which we are sure we have), please let us know. Simply following, liking, or commenting on posts will be a boost for these neighbors. Click away…

Afghan Kebab House, At Nine Restaurant, Badshah, Bird and Branch, Cha Pa’s Noodle and Grill, Chai Thai Kitchen, Danji, Der Krung Thai, Dim Sum Palace, Donburiya, E.A.K. Ramen, EAT Thai, Fine and Dandy, Hide-chan Ramen, Ikebana-Zen, Kochi, Kung Fu Little Steamed Buns, Mee Noodles Shop, Nams Nail Spa, Noodies, November 19, Obao, Ollie’s Sichuan, Poke Bowl, Pure Thai Cookhouse, Red Poke, Soba Azuma, Sushi of Gari, Thai Select, Three Roosters, Tim Ho Wan, Toribro Ramen, Torishin, Totto Ramen, Tradisyon, UT47, VIV Thai, Vivi Bubble Tea, Yakitori Totto and Zoob Zib.

If you are not an early riser, then you can always rely on Gary Hershorn to show you what’s been happening. This week’s pre-dawn moonrise down W42ST was spectacular. More pics of the moonrise here…

The Watson Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen has sold for an estimated $175m, just as Mayor de Blasio pledged to move the homeless out of hotels around the city. The hotel on W57th Street started life as a Holiday Inn — and its huge rooftop pool was a “secret” treat for many visiting the city (and some locals). Read more…

Meanwhile, down the block, the newly renovated red-brick facade of the Windermere on W57th St and 9th Ave might house a 174-room-hotel if plans are accepted for this Hell’s Kitchen historic heirloom. More here…

Clinton Community Garden reopened for keyholders yesterday. At the moment, it is just open weekdays during daylight hours. They are working on how to issue new keys. Watch this space… Thx to Megan for this picture from the garden yesterday.

I’ve loved discovering the layers of television history on the far west side. On W57th Street you can find a plaque marking CBS News as a “Historic Site in Journalism” and calling out the excellence of journalists like Ed Murrow.

The Colbert Report was based on W54th Street, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver was on W57th until being replaced last year by The Drew Barrymore Show. The Daily Show has been a long-term feature on 11th Avenue.

We’re hoping that Jon Stewart will return to the neighborhood in the fall with his new Apple TV+ show — The Problem with Jon Stewart. Read more…

As the pandemic bit and we were told to stay home, many people opted for a four-legged friend rather than be cooped up all alone. Cities documented a record number of dog adoptions, and the streets filled with what the internet began to call “pandemic puppies”.

But where are the perfect places for you and your furry friend to settle down together and chill? While many buildings in New York consider themselves dog friendly, not many go that extra mile to become dog loving. Luckily, Hell’s Kitchen is a dog neighborhood full of buildings with amenities specifically catering to our canine friends. Here’s our list of apartments you and your pup will absolutely love — or should we say, wuv?

Thanks to Daryl Richardson for sharing. “A New York City moment when Michael Kors used W45th Street as the runway for his Fall/Winter collection. Front row seat from my bedroom,” he said on Instagram.

If you want to see more of Bella Hadid, Irina Shayk and Naomi Campbell in sequins turning Broadway into a runway on Thursday evening, head over to this photo rich report in the Daily Mail.