Good morning and happy Saturday. Expect thunderstorms late morning that will continue through the early afternoon. It’s going to be pretty much the same for the next few days — so prepare to sweat and dodge the rain…
It’s impossible to understand the pain of friends and family when a young person is killed tragically, especially for a mom. Ava Conklin’s mother, Chrissy Collins, reached out to us last week saying: “The love and support from Hell’s Kitchen is unbearable and I want to send a thank you.” She sat down with Sarah and talked about Ava — remembering her Broadway-loving teen and Ava’s vibrant Hell’s Kitchen legacy. “She had the biggest heart in the littlest body,” said Chrissy. Read more…
Here’s the rest of the news from around Hell’s Kitchen this week…
As time is called on the historic Hourglass Tavern, Palermo Argentinian Bistro rises in its place on Restaurant Row, serving traditional asado-cooked steaks by renowned Chef Carlos Barroz. Read more…
Well, those works around the sites of dismantled payphones at Hellcat Annie’s, Mee Noodles and Norma didn’t end up delivering trees — but at least they didn’t bring us LinkNYC kiosks either. The work has been completed on 9th Avenue, and we have some shiny new bits of sidewalk to keep us moving.
There’s an opportunity for a deal in a luxury apartment on 8th Avenue — and you could get two months rent-free! The Biltmore, a towering 53-story residence nestled between Hell’s Kitchen and the Theater District, has launched an affordable housing lottery for 24 of its studio apartments. Read more…
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Actor and screenwriter Victor Colicchio has lived in Hell’s Kitchen since the neighborhood was “too hot to handle for most people.” Vic’s West Side Story includes the last Times Square apple drop and appearing on stage with George C Scott. Read more…
Before GrubHub, Seamless and Sweetgreen took over New York’s quick-bite market, there were delis, diners and cafeterias. And while a hearty cohort of delis and diners remain on the scene, the city’s automats and cafeterias are long gone — except for in the pages of photographer Marcia Bricker Halperin’s new book Kibbitz and Nosh: When We All Met at Dubrow’s Cafeteria, an evocative tribute to the last days of the cafes that served everyone from vaudeville veterans to the city’s once-thriving Garment District factory workers. Read more…
Stand-up comedian Vicky Kuperman took a circuitous route to arrive in Hell’s Kitchen in 2001, but she’s been here ever since and can’t imagine living anywhere else. Read Vicky’s West Side Story…
We are excited that there’s a NEW dive bar coming to 9th Avenue later this summer. The sign appeared last weekend for “Local 42 Bar” — which is taking over the space between W41st/42nd Street previously occupied by Dave’s Irish Tavern. The new bar, by the team who have brought the neighborhood Steak Frites, Lovely’s Old Fashioned and Zillions Pizza, plans to keep some of Dave’s nostalgia. Get ready for a mid-August opening…
Check out Sarah’s latest edition of “Make Way for the Weekend” for ideas of what to do around New York. Read more…
There’s good news for Hell’s Kitchen’s caffeine fiends looking for a good value cup of Joe on 9th Avenue — Matto Espresso has expanded into the neighborhood. Read more…
New Yorker Damon Webster returned to his home city 10 years ago and settled into Hell’s Kitchen. “The neighborhood that was a ‘never go’ when I was a kid has become a solid home,” says the advertising executive, photographer and podcaster. Read Damon’s West Side Story…
What we’ve been reading
* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a 💰
Drones are being deployed to keep NY beaches safe from sharks. (NY1)
It’s been a rough week for Mayor Eric Adams… (Hellgate💰)
Is NYC getting its rat population under control? (Gothamist)
The story of longtime renters searching for a West Side condo to work from home comfortably. (New York Times💰)
If you’ve been waiting to try Chalong, there’s a good summer Restaurant Week deal. (The Infatuation)
Freeze Frame
Congratulations to Matt Fox and Enrique Crame III, who met 20 years ago this week. “On July 5th, 2003 my pal, Hal, dragged me out to the legendary Roxy nightclub. Enrique was visiting from Canada. As cliche as it sounds, our eyes met from across the room. And here we are two decades later. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next 20,” said Matt on behalf of the Fine and Dandy duo!
Happy birthday today to Louise Newsome — and tomorrow to Jamie Brown.
