Today’s W42ST Daily presented by TFC — W42ST Daily 6/10/2020
I walked along 10th Avenue in the early afternoon with a W42ST Radio Flyer. The little red truck was being put back into service to move our belongings from The Artist Co-op to storage (usually it’s used for magazine delivery). W42ST has lost its co-working space. More of that later.
Charlie Marshall had hopped over the road to chat with Jacob Cohen, the owner of Mémé Mediterranean. I told Jacob he’d finally made it to the “Hell’s Kitchen is OPEN!” list. Mémé was about to be added to the list last week, when he decided to close for the curfew. Charlie was one of the few businesses that stayed open. These are not normal times.
I took a quick snap of the two together. We decided it was OK to have our masks down, as long as we were all six feet apart.
Ruth and I cleared out our lockers, headed to storage, then had a quick late lunch at Friedman’s down by Hudson Yards. They’d put some chairs on the street, unsure what was the right thing to do. It felt almost normal, especially as the construction noise of Hudson Yards pounded away. It was good to see the old tire shop next door is still open, amid all the new glass and steel.
Michael at Landmark Tavern had messaged me a few weeks ago to pop by. I headed over for my first pint of draft Guinness for three months. It tasted good (so good that I forgot to take a picture of it until it was half gone). Michael and his partner Donnchadh had written a small check to support W42ST and what we do. We are grateful for such kindness in tough times.
I walked past the doorway of Perdition. It was open for the first time in such a long while. I was meeting up with a friend, so noted that I could head back later in the week.
An hour later, I bumped in to one of the staff from Perdition, on his way home. He no longer had a job. Perdition had closed. Brendan and Jessica had taken the heart wrenching decision to close. Wonderful people, so sad.
So please keep using our list (we’ve now created a version you can print). Keep those phones ringing (remember, using those apps gives less money to our local businesses). Keep those to-go drinks going (and pull up your masks in between sips) … and we’ll build Hell’s Kitchen back better.
SPONSORED
In half a century, TF Cornerstone (TFC) has transformed the Long Island City waterfront, developed some of the first residential buildings in the Financial District & Hudson Yards, and revitalized the Meatpacking District. TFC continues to cultivate the surrounding community long after a project’s completion date. Learn more…
THE LOSS OF A COMMUNITY
Last week, Rachel Berger sent out a message to the members of The Artist Co-op that the party was over. The board had taken the decision to close. W42ST has run its business from TAC for nearly two years. It was sad, but I’d like to take a few minutes to celebrate the way that Rachel and her team enriched my life and many others in New York. Want to hear why, and who I met? Click here.
WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
Forget toilet paper and hair dye – NYC’s latest shortage? Kettlebells. That’s heavy …
Neiman Marcus at Hudson Yards could be turned into offices. Shop shock …
Will the fans be rushing back to Broadway soon? “My love of theater is not so important to me that I risk dying for it.” Not likely …
Some good news for movie fans. Popcorn anyone?
Last month at Worldwide Plaza, Hamilton star Krystal Joy Brown performed a concert for Food Bank For New York City. You can watch it here.
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