Good morning and happy Saturday. Waking up to 28 degrees is not fun — especially when it was 30 degrees warmer yesterday morning! The sun will warm us up to the mid-40s this afternoon. We’re taking Monday off — we hope you can extend your weekend too.
“If we can move Madison Square Garden to the Western Rail Yard, we will get a world-class arena and a world-class train station. It will be a win-win for the people of New York,” says Council Member Erik Bottcher. It’s time to take an interest in the debate about the future of Penn Station. Read more…
Here’s the rest of the news from around Hell’s Kitchen this week…
Hell’s Kitchen restaurateurs are protesting a new bill going through New York City Council that would allow platforms like GrubHub and DoorDash to potentially charge independent eateries more — a financial hit many bosses say leaves an especially bad taste as they try to recover from pandemic challenges. Read more…
Numbers reported to the city Taxi and Limousine Commission show that app companies such as Uber and Lyft have taken a bigger bite out of riders’ fares after New York City set a minimum wage for drivers in 2019 — peaking during the worst of the COVID crisis. Read more…
West Side Monopoly has become a thing as big bucks players are trading spaces in Hell’s Kitchen once more. Communications mega-corporation Verizon has leased a long-vacant 12th Avenue building for a cool $50 million and plans to build new six-story premises. Read more…
Actively engaging with your neighborhood is more vital than ever, and here in Hell’s Kitchen, there are myriad volunteer opportunities to support fellow neighbors, local public spaces and cultural organizations. We’ve compiled a list of ways to get involved on the West Side — let us know of any more that we should add! Read more…
The historic McGraw-Hill building on W42nd Street, known as the Art Deco Tower, is likely to pivot from being an office block to a mixed-use building containing luxury apartments on the upper floors. Read more…
New York inflation is high, while office occupancy is mired at below 50%, which one research group estimates translates to a $12 billion annual loss in economic activity. Read more…
New York principals will start meeting weekly with the NYPD to address youth violence outside of school. Education boss David Banks calls it a “state of emergency” that requires more intervention. Read more…
Thanks to Sarah and Naty for being W42ST’s boots on the ground — and the sneakers on the court — while I continue my exile in London.
Pick up a paddle, pickleball is moving indoors! The trendy tennis-badminton-racquetball hybrid taking over the city’s recreational spaces will come to new, state-of-the-art courts in Hell’s Kitchen starting next week. Read more…
Uber, Lyft, taxi cab or…helicopter? Luxury local air transport company Blade is testing out new electric passenger vertical take-off and landing aircraft that may soon be heading for New York’s skies. 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…
There is warming news on 10th Avenue! Fans of Taboon’s signature clay oven and its chef will be able to enjoy the same freshly baked bread, meze and Mediterranean hits at Frena soon. Read more…
Hospitality veteran David Lindo has opened The Juicy Lounge on 9th Avenue — a smoothie, juice and açaí bowl paradise in Hell’s Kitchen. Read more…
Thanks to Alexandre Ayer for this picture of the “Big Button”, an updated public art installation in the Garment District, that was unveiled on 7th “Fashion” Avenue at W39th St yesterday. Local Projects’ Peter Vikar recalled how he came up with the initial design: “We asked ourselves how we could create a more dynamic design that removed the sculpture’s static relationship with the outdated kiosk. Our approach creates the illusion of the overscaled button upheld by a single thread.”
What we’ve been reading
Eviction numbers soar in New York post-pandemic. (Eyewitness News)
Police funding splits Progressive Democrats in NYC. (New York Times)
Loeb Boathouse in Central Park will reopen this summer with a new operator. (I Love The Upper West Side)
In less than two years, 11 people died and 251 were injured in NYC fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries. (New York Post)
The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is coming to the Big Apple. (amNY)
Freeze Frame
Even walking around London, I get little reminders of home. This was spotted on Upper Street in Islington. Ivan Orkin, who anchored the opening of Gotham West Market with his amazing slurp shop, has a new venture — Ivan Mazemen! I will sample and report back.
Happy 80th birthday tomorrow to Hell’s Kitchen resident, W42ST reader and pop singer-songwriter Lou Christie — and many happy returns today to Helen Todd.