Good morning and welcome to the weekend. Did you switch off the AC last night and crack open the window? Yes, it went below 70 degrees for the first time in ages. The weekend is looking fabulous, but expect some showers on Labor Day. Enjoy…
It was a wonderful experience to meet Machine Dazzle in person. He’s the “queer experimental theater genius” exhibiting at the Museum of Art and Design later this month. We got a tour of his sixth floor studio — and you might find him there for “happy hour” too if you visit the show. Read more…
Here’s a rundown on what’s been happening in Hell’s Kitchen this week…
When Russia invaded Ukraine six months ago, a team of Russian journalists based in Hell’s Kitchen decided that they could not work under the censorship of their Moscow bosses. Instead, they set up a makeshift studio in their apartment and started broadcasting independently on YouTube. Read more…
We’re all too familiar with the plain old New York City garbage truck — but some of them are about to get a fabulous facelift. The Department of Sanitation’s “Trucks of Art” program is offering visual artists a chance to display their work on New York’s Strongest vehicles. Read more…
Grab yourself a coffee, put on some music (this story includes a playlist) and take yourself back to the age of jazz on W52nd Street with TJ English. His new book (remember his HK history, The Westies?) weaves musicians and mobsters together. Read more…
Eight blocks of Hell’s Kitchen became part of the Times Square “Gun Free Zone” on Thursday. NYPD put up signs at the entrance to the 25-block area to mark the gun-free status after New York City council banned firearms in the Crossroads of the World. Read more…
Good news, uptown theater fans! The TKTS discount ticket booth is set to reopen its Lincoln Center location once more, with plans to relaunch next week. Read more…
Brandon Doman has brought his Strangers Project back to the Fountain House Gallery on the corner of W48th Street and 9th Avenue. We reported on Brandon in 2020, when he brought his crowdsourced, one-page celebration of collected and curated New York stories to the gallery during the pandemic. Check it out until Labor Day. Thank you to Michael William G and Karin Schall for the nudge to report on the project again. It’s there until Monday…
In a move welcomed by Hell’s Kitchen java fans, New York cafe Birch Coffee has announced that it is switching its default creamer from dairy to oat milk. Read more…
Still making plans for this weekend? Check out W42ST Lifestyle Editor Sarah Beling’s “Make Way For The Weekend” newsletter — your curated guide to the best of New York events.
Joining the culinary delights tucked away on 11th Avenue, newcomers Gorin Ramen and burger joint Smashed NYC are set to add extra variety to the Gotham West Market. Read more…
The sights and sounds of Hell’s Kitchen provide a real-life backdrop for an innovative immersive theater experience, The Detour Series, playing out now on the streets of the neighborhood. Grab your phone and headphones and wander to Playwrights Horizons. Read more…
Chef Nicola Campbell is feeling right at home in Hell’s Kitchen as she opens brand-new Jamaican eatery Cafe 424 on W54th Street. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
By the end of July, NYC had already spent more than $67 million on police misconduct payouts in 2022. (Gothamist)
The Wing, a coworking space and clubhouse designed as a “feminist utopia”, has closed. (TimeOut)
Ars Nova opens its doors with “pay what you wish” ticketing. (New York Times)
The ideal spa day is just a ferry ride away… (WSJ)
Timothee Chalamet has been stealing the limelight on the red carpet. (Just Jared)
Freeze Frame
Thanks to Rebecca Carman for sending in this picture of Serena Williams’s final match being screened at Hudson Yard last night. “Wouldn’t have known about this amazing venue but for your newsletter!” she said. Serena might be out, but the free broadcasts continue in HY’s Backyard for the rest of the US Open.
Happy birthday today to Isaac Halpern, Danny Fishman, John Harrison, Charles Dustin Sammann and Geert DeBecker.
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