Good morning and happy Saturday. We’re a little cooler this weekend, with temperatures hitting 70 degrees on both days. Today will be cloudy until just before sunset, when the sun comes out and will then hang around for Sunday!
Viva Hell’s Vegas? As New York State gets ready to grant three gambling licenses to New York City, developers and casino companies across the city are placing their bets on Times Square and Hudson Yards and hoping elected officials and community boards will do the same. “I haven’t encountered a single constituent in the neighborhood that thinks it’s a good idea,” says Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal. Read more…
Here’s the rest of the news from Hell’s Kitchen this week.
Hell’s Kitchen’s award-winning Pocket Bar is expanding with a new location, Pocket Bar 57, this summer, promising more intimate, pocket-sized fun for the neighborhood. Read more…
George Maharis, the street-smart heartthrob from Hell’s Kitchen, died in LA at 94. Born to Greek immigrants, he pursued his dream as a singer and actor, embodying the spirit of Route 66. Read more…
Thanks to all the readers who sent in photos from Manhattanhenge this week. Our favorite was from Ben Mejia, looking down W42nd Street from on high.
The sweet aroma of honey-roasted Nuts4Nuts is wafting over to another borough after relocating its long-standing Hell’s Kitchen headquarters to Astoria. Read more…
From Sean Patrick Murtagh’s first margarita at Blockheads to unforgettable shows at The Laurie Beechman Theatre, join him on a nostalgic journey through Hell’s Kitchen as he prepares to leave the neighborhood and head to LA. Read his West Side Story…
Hell’s Kitchen restaurateurs are preparing for another summer of “streeteries”. As the City Council gears up to finalize legislation to restrict and codify outdoor dining sheds, many of the neighborhood’s restaurants find themselves in a state of flux. Read more…
SPONSORED POST
Immerse yourself in creativity at Chashama-Rama: a $25 art extravaganza with interactive performances by 200 artists. Tickets here… [Use code ChaW42St for a $5 discount)
Happy 10th anniversary this week to Kashkaval Garden. Last year, we reported on the Kashkaval business celebrating its 25th anniversary (the “garden” is a new location). We also spotted this photo of their 9th Avenue outdoor dining (which disappeared in the “super sidewalk” cull of May 2022).
The spotted lanternflies in the neighborhood are getting ready to invade our summer fun again. They are currently at the “instar” stage with no wings and without the bright colors. If you have an infestation, please hit reply. We’ve got a few ideas on how to reduce the population that we’d like to test out…
Check out Sarah’s latest edition of “Make Way for the Weekend” for ideas of what to do around New York. Read more…
A woman living in a Hell’s Kitchen shelter was severely beaten with a pipe, requiring 14 stitches and a hospital stay — and residents of the W52nd Street Women’s Center say that this violent incident is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to safety issues at the West Side facility. Read more…
Meet Jill Slaymaker: an Indiana transplant turned Hell’s Kitchen local. An artist and teacher, Jill’s life in Manhattan Plaza offers a blend of art, community, favorite local eateries and a health club just an elevator ride away. Read her West Side Story…
What we’ve been reading
* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a đź’°
Grants totaling $100k have been given to over 20 West Side organizations (including W42ST). (Patch)
Rosie O’Grady’s closes after over 40 years on 7th Ave and 52nd Street. (Irish Central)
The Flatiron Building could be converted to apartments after latest auction. (Time Out)
Be on the lookout for sharks if you head to the beach this summer. (Eyewitness News)
How movie theaters are working on getting customers off their couch and back into cinemas. (New York Timesđź’°)
Freeze Frame
Hell’s Kitchen welcomed a new pooch to the neighborhood this week. Theodore Bear, known as Teddy, has taken over the Instagram account of @bentleypom, who sadly passed away in April. Thanks to Jennifer MacDougall for the intro.
Happy birthday today to Mark Gordon and Thomas Estler
