WEST SIDE STORIES
Artist Dana Nehdaran’s Brush with COVID Led to Portrait Painting Passion
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…
“I’ve Got a Lot of Odd Stories to Tell” — David Dean Bottrell on Life in Hell’s Kitchen and Beyond
He’s a familiar face on any number of TV shows, but now David Dean Bottrell is back in his spiritual home of New York City he’s ready to spill the beans in a wide-ranging one-man theater…
“It Happened. I Can’t Believe it” — Why Neighborhood Life is a Dream Come True for Sharon Wheatley
Actor, author and mom Sharon Wheatley originated the role of Diane and others in the Tony Award-winning musical Come From Away and has been in the show ever since. Originally from Ohio, she “married into Hell’s…
“I Wanted to Be in the Thick of It” — Why Photographer Robbie Quinn Loves Living on the West Side
From visiting his avant garde great aunts to performing at CBGB, Robbie Quinn has always considered himself a New Yorker. Now the photographer is settled in Hell’s Kitchen and feels right at home. Here’s Robbie’s West…
“After Giving Birth I was in a Really Dark Place” — Pushing Through Postpartum Founder Rory Cruz Shares Her West Side Story
Hell’s Kitchen has always been a big draw for social worker Rory Cruz. She was born and brought up here, and now lives in the neighborhood with her baby son Joey. But the struggles she had…
Meteorologist Bonnie’s New Book Puts Climate Change and Mental Health in the Spotlight
On-air television meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is a familiar face on TV — and as a Hell’s Kitchen resident, you might have spotted her around the neighborhood too. While some of us were vegging around in sweatpants…
Travis Moser is Happy to Sing the Praises of His Adopted City
“Staying here during the pandemic made me love New York City even more,” says Pennsylvania-born recording, cabaret and concert artist Travis Moser, who loves Hell’s Kitchen. Here’s Travis’s West Side Story… So, what’s your New York…
Stacey Weingarten Reveals Why Hell’s Kitchen is Right Up Her (Sesame) Street
Puppet wrangler Stacey Weingarten is — literally — one of the people behind Elmo and Big Bird, but the pandemic has seen her spread her wings by writing, producing and directing a new family musical about…
Kevin Lustik Threads Art With Yarn, Beads, Buttons, Needles — and Wit
Kevin Lustik spends his days rushing to meet tight deadlines at a large New York law firm. When he gets home he slows down with needlework. “I love the repetition of this work. Pull the needle…
Inspired by “Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting)” — Ross Avant is Heading to Carnegie Hall
When thirteen-year-old Ross Avant first heard Sir Elton John’s Saturday Night’s Alright (For Fighting) he was inspired to teach himself piano. On Friday, he debuts at Carnegie Hall. Here’s Ross’s West Side Story. So, what’s your…
“We Still Found a Way to Come Together and Support One Another” — Phantom Star Meghan Picerno Praises Fellow Artists
Meghan Picerno has been playing Christine in The Phantom of the Opera, Broadway’s longest-running show, since before COVID. Now, she’s back in the role, giving credit to the community of artists that made the revival of…
Rock Climbing and Piano Playing Create a Harmonious Life for Personal Trainer Judy Kuan
Judy Kuan talks about her love for the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood — and how she developed her piano playing (mixed with personal training) and discovered a love of rock climbing during the pandemic. So, what’s your…
Aleta LaFargue: “You’ll never take Hell’s Kitchen out of the girl!”
Aleta LaFargue, Hell’s Kitchen native and one of Manhattan Plaza’s first babies, has served as their Tenant President for the past 5 years. She has been an artist, activist and advocate in the community for the…
Hold the Phone — Improv Everywhere’s Charlie Todd is Here to Stay!
A Hell’s Kitchen resident since 2013, this former performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade used his talent to start Improv Everywhere nearly 20 years ago. Since then, he’s brought smiles and surprises to the public. His sense…
Michael Waxes Lyrical About the Neighborhood He Now Calls Home
He may have only recently arrived in Hell’s Kitchen, but Michael William G has really taken the neighborhood to his heart. And pandemic living has inspired a pivot that’s led to him creating his own luxury…
“I’m NEVER Leaving” — Tom’s Long-Standing Love Affair with Hell’s Kitchen
Tom D’Angora is a producer and activist. During the pandemic he and his husband, Michael, with the help of friend Tim Guinee, have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to save places like the West Bank…
“I Love our Neighborhood Spirit” — Why Hell’s Kitchen is Heaven for Priya
She may have only moved to the neighborhood in 2018, but Priya Ahluwalia has taken Hell’s Kitchen to her heart. Here’s Priya’s West Side Story So, what’s your New York story? Born here, or just arrived?I…
Why Foodie Maria is Proud to Have Spent a Lifetime in the Kitchen
Social Worker and community activist Maria Ortiz has lived in and around Hell’s Kitchen for most of her life so she’s certainly got a taste for the place — maybe that’s why she loves the food…
Why Photographer Robin Loves This “Small Neighborhood in a Big City”
The pandemic has helped photographer Robin Riley to rediscover her love for the work that brought her to New York City in the first place. Here’s her West Side Story So, what’s your New York story?…
Christine Berthet — a Persistent Voice Above the Hell’s Kitchen Traffic
Hell’s Kitchen activist Christine Berthet describes herself as “persistent.” Since landing in New York from France just over 40 years ago, she has fought to reclaim 9th Avenue from “the hellish Lincoln Tunnel traffic”. For the…
Great Vibe and Community — Why Juli Loves to Live in Hell
As Founder and Professional Organizer of OrganizeNY, Juli Oliver is probably one of the most together people in Hell’s Kitchen — but her early days in the neighborhood were a little rocky. Here’s Juli’s West Side…
Variety is the Spice of Neighborhood Life for Chef Christopher
What are the ingredients that make Hell’s Kitchen such a tasty dish for Chef Christopher Motta? “Its style… character… the history… and the food and all the bars are a huge plus!” he says. Christopher shares…
Why Real-Time Illustrator Tracey was Drawn to the Neighborhood
Tracey Kleinman Berglund draws pictures in real-time, visualizing what speakers like Bill Clinton and Melinda Gates are talking about. She’s live-illustrated everything from events about robotics to peacekeeping to focus groups on making tastier sausage products.…
Keri is Baking and Connecting with her Abstract Tarts
You might know Keri Jordan-Leander from her baking at Kahve or her Abstract Tart stand at local food festivals. She also wrote for W42ST on Juneteenth last year about what she had learned about racism from…
“I Packed My Bag with a Tennis Racquet, Jeans and 2 T-Shirts. Hey, I’m Going to New York” — Bini is a Happy Refugee, 22 Years Later
Shkumbin ‘Bini’ Mustafa came to New York in 1999, as an ethnic Albanian Muslim refugee from Kosovo. He had heard from a friend that the United States would allow in 20,000 immigrants seeking escape from war-torn…
“Life’s Not Fair” — but Lion King’s Scar is Surviving the Pandemic
Actor Stephen Carlile plays Scar, the loathsome baddie in The Lion King. His opening line in the hit musical — “Life’s not fair” — is a phrase of our times. Stephen is making the most of…
Capturing a flavor of “Worst Cooks” contestant Jonathan
You might have seen Jonathan Hanna on the current season of “Worst Cooks in America” on the Food Channel, or the 2019 season of “Dating Around” on Netflix — or maybe you recognize his distinctive mustache…
Patrick’s Hell’s Kitchen Book Club
Patrick Key is a non-profit fundraiser by day, and an avid book reader by night. His claim to fame is being on The Oprah Show for her book club. Patrick’s Instagram account has been our publisher’s…
Karin Schall Chalking Her Outrage
Karin Schall is the person chalking up Hell’s Kitchen sidewalks with messages about masks, voting, staying home, and democracy. She says that her superpower is her “outrage”. Read on for Karin’s West Side Story. So, what’s…
Kelly McCann — ‘it’s oh so quiet’
Kelly McCann arrived in Hell’s Kitchen in January 2020 with her husband, Cameron. She’s taken pictures of cities around the world, and loved the solace she could find in quiet, tranquil places with no people. When…
Onika Day — “Hell’s Kitchen was an escape for me”
Onika Day left the Bay Area to pursue her New York dreams. She landed in Hell’s Kitchen and has found work in the theater and now in television series like The Undoing, Billions, and The Affair.…
Matthew Kilgore: Dressing Hamilton and Drew Barrymore
Matthew Kilgore arrived in New York as a dancer with Broadway dreams, which he pursued for 17 years in musical theater. These days he is in the wings, working as a dresser and wardrobe assistant. This…
Lynnette Blanche: “Times Square? You mean my back yard?”
Lynnette Blanche is a first generation American, born to Colombian parents in Anchorage, Alaska. She spends her weekdays plugging away as an advertising executive and weekends snapping photos all over the city. Her Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood…
Charles ‘Chuck’ Gomez — Cuban Son Rising
Charles ‘Chuck’ Gomez has “had a remarkable journey”. He’s the son of Cuban immigrants “who worshiped the American Dream”. As a journalist, he covered civil wars and “had a grenade tossed my way in Nicaragua”. He…
Elisha & Laila Ortiz — mom & baby’s West Side Story
In March, Elisha Ortiz was 3 months pregnant. She was locked down at home with her husband at their one-bedroom apartment in Hell’s Kitchen covering breaking news for NBC. She documented her rapidly changing tastes and…
Michael Barth: “Go out and make a difference”
Michael Barth is a 26-year-old Wall Street associate. Last month he got a call from a four-star Admiral to tell him that his work with the Coast Guard Auxiliary (the uniformed civilian component of the U.S.…
RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Jackie Cox: “How am I suddenly extremely famous, but just sitting on my couch?”
At the start of 2019, Jackie Cox was holding down a job in Midtown, doing cabaret at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, on the drag circuit in Hell’s Kitchen, “and then I got the call from mama…
Eliza Hamilton – will she be able not to sob?
Krystal Joy Brown can’t wait to get back on stage. She’s been playing Eliza Schuyler in Hamilton on Broadway since mid-December. But she has one reservation about re-opening night: “When the show starts, the crowd always…
Interior inspiration from the hardware store
We all wear a uniform. New Yorkers wear black. It sets us apart from the tourists. And our homes have white walls. Wooden floors. In this city of glass and steel, we live in neutral boxes,…