Happy Thursday. It was great to hear yesterday that beaches will be opening on time this year (Memorial Day) and pools will be open in June. Summer is just around the corner.
The Watson Hotel in Hell’s Kitchen has sold for an estimated $175m, just as Mayor de Blasio pledges 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…
Thanks to all the readers who added to our list of local Asian-owned Hell’s Kitchen businesses yesterday. Here are the extras, and we will find a way to pull the list together in one place in the next few days. Please support — liking their Instagram page is a good start!
Afghan Kebab House, Badshah, EAT Thai, Hide-chan Ramen, Mee Noodles Shop, Ollie’s Sichuan, Soba Azuma, Three Roosters, Tim Ho Wan, Vivi Bubble Tea and Yakitori Totto.
W42ST will be giving free advertising to these businesses alongside our stories for the rest of April.
What we’ve been reading
Beaches open Memorial Day, Pools in June. (CBS)
CDC guidance questions MTA deep cleaning. (NY1)
Restaurants are struggling to recruit workers. (New York Times)
Outdoor performances at Lincoln Center restart. (I Love the UWS)
Miami offers a taste of what a new New York could look like for post-COVID restaurants. (Grub Street)
Freeze Frame
Thanks to Roy for this fabulous Hell’s Kitchen spring picture. He said on Instagram: “The magnolia in the Clinton Community Garden is finally in bloom, several weeks later than usual. Sad that I can’t sit on this bench, as due to some stupid technicality we have not been able to go inside for over a year. Hey, NYC City Council members can you fix this, please?” We will be forwarding the request — it’s time!