Welcome to the weekend. Make the most of this morning’s sunshine — as it’s the last we will see of it until Wednesday. Saturday and Sunday temperatures peak in the high 40s and drop to mid-30s overnight.
A team of intrepid tour guides has turned the pandemic shutdown into a productive pivot by opening DD Hibachi, a new grill and dumpling-focused restaurant serving up creative Asian fusion flavors on 9th Avenue. Read more…

Here’s the rest of the news around Hell’s Kitchen this week…
The scene is unsettlingly familiar: the Hell’s Kitchen community, faced with another missing person case, plans to gather tomorrow (Sunday) outside Port Authority today as yet another young man, this time, law student Jordan Taylor, remains missing after being spotted in Midtown, his phone found near LGBTQ+ nightclub The Q. Read more…

Craving a staycation? Step out of the winter thunderstorms and into a stylish, resort-like atmosphere for some finely-tuned southern Thai cuisine as Chalong NYC opens on 9th Avenue. Read more…

A staple of W42nd Street, the revival of the long-dormant, century-old Times Square Theater has hit a new snag — the lack of interested tenants has pressed pause on the renovation of the historic Midtown performing venue. Read more…

The guys who brought us eateries like Friedman’s and Kossar’s Babels and Bialys have opened a sushi and ramen spot on the corner of 10th Avenue and W37th Street. Read more…

It’s too warm for snow – and Hell’s Kitchen has got the gigantic salt piles to prove it (700 million pounds of it citywide). As we approach a record lack of flakes, Sarah spoke to Climate Central’s meteorologist to understand why. Read more…

NYCHA topped the 2022 list as the overall worst NYC landlord with 673,990 open work orders at its buildings. Now its Minneapolis-based Chair — paid $258,000 — is leaving to be replaced by a volunteer. Read more…

Fifth Wall venture capital decided to set the hive mind of Artificial Intelligence onto re-imagining Hudson Yards. They picked five different styles — from Dr Seuss to JRR Tolkien — and let AI do its work. What’s your favorite? Read more…

Times Square officials have installed a series of “blunt” signs reminding newly relaxed weed lovers that all smoking, including cannabis, is banned from the public plaza. Read more…

Move over Fido and Lassie, there are new dog names in town! A Reddit user has compiled data on New York’s most popular dog names in each borough, but what are the winners in Hell’s Kitchen? Read more…

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…

Disney started celebrating its 100 years of magic yesterday — and while the entertainment brand has made its mark worldwide, Hell’s Kitchen has more claim to the Mouse House than most. Read more…

Hell’s Kitchen will finally get curbside composting — but there will be a significant wait before it arrives. Mayor Eric Adams said this week in his State of the City that his administration is dramatically expanding composting, ending years of previous delays and cancelations. Read more…

What we’ve been reading
A new class of Port Authority Police has graduated. (CBS)
More and more rats are being spotted around New York. (NBC)
Why eating alone at a restaurant is becoming more popular. (Vox)
Are rents going up because of real demand? Or are landlords “warehousing” empty apartments? (Curbed)
Meet the man waging war against the “ghost cars” of New York City. (VICE)
Freeze Frame

Thanks to Jeremy Driesen for this photo in Times Square last night. Charles M Blow today writes an opinion piece in the New York Times that sums up the thoughts of many: “Tyre Nichols’s Death Is America’s Shame”. If you are considering protesting, the Gothamist has written a guide: “What you need to know to safely protest in NYC.”
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