Happy Saturday. We hope you have had a wonderful week enjoying this glorious weather. We went to our first party in over a year and sat at our favorite bar again! How about you?
Just a year ago Hell’s Kitchen locals hung out of apartment windows at 7pm, clattering pans and thanking front-line workers. As New York returns to “normal” — driven by our mayor, our governor and the CDC — we are being encouraged by a local ER doctor not to forget the challenges those workers and their families face as lifelong experiences lead to vaccine hesitancy. We also report on a neighbor who caught COVID after being vaccinated. Read more…
The west side continues to pile up bragging rights on being the best side. This week, Governor Cuomo announced that the Tribeca Film Festival will open at Pier 76 on June 9 with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights. More details here…
Hell’s Kitchen teenager Julian Elmo Szetela, 17, has combined entrepreneurial spirit and athletic discipline to set up his first business endeavor during the pandemic: Moe’s Rug and Upholstery Cleaning.
Thanks to Rafael for this magical picture of one of our favorite Hell’s Kitchen buildings, The Film Center. It seemed that every night this week threw up an amazing west side sunset.
We have started to republish the reporting of THE CITY NYC. With a mental health crisis on the streets of Hell’s Kitchen — NYC’s $100 Million ‘Diversion Centers’ sit empty or barely used. Today we share their story of how when Mayor de Blasio moved 12,000 homeless New Yorkers to hotels last year, the #HomelessCantStayHome campaign placed up to 30 people into private hotels. These once homeless folks had a very different experience.
On Wednesday, we asked “Where’s Corey?” One of the most charismatic, promising young political leaders seemed to have abandoned the people who elected him. We appealed for our Council Member, Corey Johnson, to get back to work in our Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.
Today, we see Corey will be outside Manhattan Plaza from 3:30-4:30pm and next Saturday in Hell’s Kitchen Park from 5:30-7:30pm. If you have an opinion, please head over to meet him.
We now have a new choice of drinks and dinner on the Hudson from Pier 81. The North River Lobster Company has a new sister ship, La Barca Cantina, where you can enjoy the sunset with tacos and tequila. What’s not to like?
We all have one friend who always asks “is this gluten-free?” Nowadays, restaurants have options for all dietary restrictions. Places that once seemed impossible to be gluten-free now have full menus of every food you can think of. The choices are endless! Whether it’s bread, desserts, burgers, and even alcohol, we’ve got you covered.
Broadway shows aren’t back until September but the theater world will soon have one of its mainstays open for business. The Drama Book Shop, a 104-year-old specialty store, is set to reopen on June 10 with the help of Lin-Manuel Miranda. More details here…
The food industry seems to be responding to New York’s pickup culture. Starbucks is downsizing locations from Venti to Grande and IHOP is flipping to a grab-and-go concept. Let’s hope that means landlords stop “holding out for a Starbucks” — and get renting those empty storefronts! More here…
On Thursday, we reported on the arrest of a man at the Skyline Hotel for the assault of an Asian man on W43rd Street. This was the third Asian hate crime in the area in 6 weeks — and the third that has ended up with a homeless person arrested. We continue to emphasize that this is a crisis created by New York City not delivering services to those with severe mental illness.
We also shared Vilma Kari’s interview with ABC’s Nightline. Vilma said that she had prayed for the man who viciously attacked her on a Hell’s Kitchen street at the end of March.
What’s going on with Taylor Schilling in this Hell’s Kitchen kitchen? This W51st Street brownstone is home to a zombie-creating, fictional strain of COVID-19 in The Bite. It premiered last night…
What we’ve been reading
Following their success with the West Bank Cafe and Birdland fundraisers, the D’Angoras are producing the Stonewall Safe Spaces concert. (Variety)
Will we need a COVID booster shot? (PIX11)
Pat Hughes gives a 10th Avenue perspective on finding staff for his bars — with guest appearance from Paul Denamiel from Le Rivage. (Reuters)
What do loosening restrictions mean for Chelsea Piers gym? (NY1)
If you’re planning on hiking in NYC over the weekend, here’s a useful list… (6sqft)
Freeze Frame
Somebody decided that they wanted to “pimp my ride” with a Citi Bike on W44th Street. Not sure about the blue, but the yellow wheel is interesting…
Have a fabulous weekend. See you Monday!