Good morning and welcome to the weekend. We’ve got plans to get out and hit some tennis balls this afternoon if we can find a court. What are you planning?
Joe Mulligan lived in Hell’s Kitchen from the late 70s to the 00s. During that time, he tended bar at BJ’s — later Robert’s and now The Waylon on 10th Avenue and W50th Street. During the early 80s, he played guitar while Bruce Willis tended bar, and spent “many a night with him” and saw him occasionally after his rise to fame. Joe contacted W42ST and described the news about Bruce’s illness as “tough to process”. He’s written this reminiscence about “Bruno” and their times together. Read more…
Here’s the rest of what’s been happening in Hell’s Kitchen this week…
The last time that I took a trip on the Circle Line was in 1990 on my first visit to New York. There’s a special place in the heart of visitors for this cruise service — “There’s not a soul that comes to this city that doesn’t want to see the city from this perspective,” said singer and HK native Alicia Keys, who performed a show on one of the ships in 2017. Last Sunday, I headed up the river for a Spring Fling! Read more…
Dana Nehdaran is an Iranian Jewish artist living in Hell’s Kitchen. In March 2021, he got COVID and 15 days later had a stroke. As a result, he lost a quarter of his vision. After three days in hospital, his neurologist asked him to not do anything strenuous for three months while he recovered. During this time Dana painted himself more than 300 times — now he’s honing his portrait skills on local people in his studio. Here’s his West Side Story…
Those bright green weed vans will be leaving Broadway and Times Square (on the back of a tow truck) in May — but the costumed characters are staying. Read more…
Misplaced or covered-up license plates have allowed drivers to evade red light or speeding camera tickets 1.5 million times since the pandemic hit in March 2020 — and the problem was getting worse in recent months, records obtained by THE CITY show. Read more…
How do you find a word that means NYC? Local news outlet PIX11 sought to find out in a survey this week asking New Yorkers to describe Big Apple living in just three words. In the spirit of New York itself, responses were…varied across a spectrum of those who wanted to be buried under the Zabar’s deli aisle and those who may want to consider relocating to a remote cabin in the woods. But across the board, there was one word that almost everyone could agree on — “EXPENSIVE.” Read more and maybe add some ❤️ to the mix…
Overnight on Tuesday, we watched as Malcolm Cochran’s Private Passage (more commonly known as “The Bottle”) was unloaded at Clinton Cove. It’s returned after a six-month $414,000 renovation. It was fun to see the landmark artwork being hauled, rolled, pushed and cajoled into place. Read more and see all the pics…
In the same way that nothing beats listening to your favorite song on vinyl, there’s something about an outdoor concert that makes music sound even better — and if you’re hoping to jam-pack your summer evenings with breezy fresh-air shows, check out SummerStage’s 2022 lineup of mostly free concerts across the city’s parks. Read more — including the line-up…
Harry’s Table at Waterline Square — Cipriani’s hotly-anticipated artisanal Italian market that was first slated to open in 2019 — is finally set to welcome guests next month. Flagship Bellini restaurant will open first, hosting the tenants of the luxury residences in the square for the first time this weekend. Read more…
Book banning efforts are at their highest in 20 years, but while the federal government seems to have reacted with a collective shrug, the New York Public Library (NYPL) has swept in to save free speech through its “Books For All” program. Read more…
This may hurt… The last legendary notes of W54th Street’s recording past are set to fade out of history. The remaining studios of The Hit Factory have been listed for sale, with the potential for a future owner to unplug their musical heritage (with options being a doctor’s or dentist’s office). Read more…
We recently shared nostalgic posters of the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, and asked for your memories. In response, reader Sherrie Allan shared her copy of the Ninth Avenue Festival Cookbook from 1974. Seemed like the perfect opportunity to take some of those Hell’s Kitchen recipes and see if they could be recreated! Step up to the plate, Mackenzie Murray, who toiled in the kitchen in the hope of cooking up some history. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
Bike riding lessons for every New York kid could be wheeling into schools. (Streetsblog)
The slow return of workers is delaying New York’s recovery, the Mayor says. (New York Post)
More 9th Avenue walkups are disappearing as Hudson Yards rises. (The Real Deal)
New York students will be sent home with COVID test kits as cases rise. (Brooklyn Eagle)
Personal flying cameras are here — watch out for them in Times Square! (Eyewitness News)
Freeze Frame
By now, we’ve all visited a New York museum and seen Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans — but have you seen his Heinz Tomato Ketchup Box? Well, you’ve got the chance to see it from today until May 9 at Christie’s at 20 Rockefeller Center from 10am-5pm during viewing times for their auction of the Collection of Thomas and Doris Ammann. You will also be able to take a look at some great art from Basquiat, Twombly, Giacometti and Freud. Oh… and the estimated sale price of the box is between $250,000 to $350,000.
Happy birthday to Sean Burger, Paulette Osborne and Dino Ventrella.
Thank you for your readership. If you can support our ongoing work to keep Hell’s Kitchen connected, updated and upbeat in 2022 — please hit the button below.
