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“Playing Brings Me Back to the Way I Felt as a Girl, and That’s Priceless” — Carol Klenfner Shares Her West Side Story
Freelance publicist and multiple medal-winning ping pong player Carol Klenfner moved to Manhattan Plaza five years ago after spending several years on the waiting list. This…
Governor Hochul Slams the Brakes on Congestion Pricing, Leaving Hell’s Kitchen in a Traffic Jam of Opinions
New York Governor Kathy Hochul is putting the brakes on a controversial congestion charge, just 25 days before it was expected to go into effect. The…
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West side stories
“There is Always Something New and Exciting, Which Suits My Energy and Endless Curiosity” — Jill Blackford’s West Side Story
Hell’s Kitchen Community Cupboard co-founder and senior program manager Jill Blackford grew up in Nashville and moved to Hell’s Kitchen in 2009. When not organizing food distributions, you can find Jill out and about with her adopted pup, Zeus. This is her West Side Story.…
“This is a Real Neighborhood, a Village Within the City” — Margaret Pine’s West Side Story
Piano teacher, musician and actor Margaret Pine has lived at Manhattan Plaza since the late 1970s — and her students hold a recital in the building’s iconic Ellington Room every year. She counts Alicia Keys among her past pupils. This is Margaret’s West Side Story.…
“Hell’s Kitchen’s is Forever in Flux” — Lucas Hall Shares His West Side Story
Australian Lucas Hall has lived in Hell’s Kitchen ever since he arrived in NYC. The former theater performer is now a yoga/meditation teacher and visual artist. Here is Lucas’s West Side Story. So, what’s your New York story? Born here, or just arrived?I’m originally from…
“Hell’s Kitchen is a Celebration of What Makes New York the Greatest City in the World” — Will Nunziata’s West Side Story
Theater, TV and film writer, director and creator Will Nunziata started out as a singer and has lived in Hell’s Kitchen for more than 10 years, six of them with his husband, Joseph. This is Will’s West Side Story. So what’s your New York story?…
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Latest
Air Quality Alerts Return to Hell’s Kitchen One Year After Wildfires
A year ago this week, Canadian wildfires turned the skies of Hell’s Kitchen into an orange haze. Yesterday, air quality alerts were issued — even with…
Feel the Beat: Free Summer Music Fills the West Side!
Summertime… and there’s free music in the air all over the West Side! Whatever your taste in tunes, there’s sure to be something that hits the…
New Port Authority Bus Terminal Renderings Reveal the Future of Hell’s Kitchen
New renderings for Port Authority Bus Terminal’s upcoming redesign give a glimpse of Hell’s Kitchen’s future, with buildings that will tower over the southern part of…
New York’s Big Bet: Expanding TV & Film Studios Amid Industry Uncertainty
Sunset Pier 94 will open six sound stages in Hell’s Kitchen, but concerns about industry instability raise questions about the project’s long-term commercial viability. In the…
Hidden $80K Donation Further Fuels Battle at Community Board Roiled by Development Fights
A zoning task force at Manhattan Community Board 5 covertly secured the anonymous funds and met privately — which may violate city ethics and transparency rules.…
Security Guard Stabbed Multiple Times During Shoplifting Attempt at Hell’s Kitchen Duane Reade
A security guard at Duane Reade on 8th Avenue and W53rd Street was stabbed multiple times when he tried to stop a homeless man from shoplifting,…
Plastic Fantastic — Orange Pill Bottles Transformed into Beautiful, Thought-Provoking Art by Fountain House Gallery
We all have empty orange prescription bottles cluttering up drawers and shelves — useless, unattractive, plastic trash. But Fountain House Gallery takes another view, and is…
Clothes Encounters of the Disappearing Kind… Where Have The Laundromats Gone in Hell’s Kitchen?
Laundry is a chore of everyday life, along with washing dishes and taking out the trash. Sadly, this essential task seems to have gotten much harder…
Sending Out an ‘SOS’: Peter Shankman Launches Journalist Source Platform from Hell’s Kitchen
New York media has gained a new hero as Hell’s Kitchen entrepreneur Peter Shankman launches an online platform to connect journalists with sources and story-worthy projects.…
Intermission at The Torch: Mega Hotel Construction Site Goes Quiet in Heart of Theater District
The future site of a mammoth 1,067-foot tower in the heart of the Theater District has become eerily quiet since March. What’s led to the dramatic…
Latest Newsletters
You’ve Gotta Know What Tea to Brew and How to Brew It
Good afternoon, this is W42ST Lifestyle Editor Sarah Beling with “Make Way For The Weekend” — your curated guide to the best of New York events…
🚘 Congestion Charge Stop + Carol’s West Side Story
Good morning and happy Thursday. Humid today, with the chance of a thunderstorm around lunchtime. The clouds should clear this evening for a nice sunset. An…
💨 Air Quality Alerts + 🍜 Mee Noodle Closes
Good morning and happy Wednesday. Today, we will be shrouded by clouds, with temperatures reaching the high 70s this afternoon. Rain will kick in late evening…
🔮 HK FUTURE: Port Authority + TV Studio
Good morning and happy Tuesday. It’s another lovely day, although clouds will creep over at lunchtime and keep our afternoon temperatures just below the 80s. Enjoy……
🚨 Security Guard Stabbed + 🍦 New 9th Ave Gelato
Good morning and happy Monday. The early morning clouds will clear to give us a mostly sunny day. Expect a few of those clouds to return…
💊 Pill Bottle Art + HK This Week
Good morning and happy June. We’re heading up into the 80s for the next few days. Today will be the sunnier day — expect some clouds…
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There Goes the Sun — Hell’s Kitchen Prepares for Manhattanhenge Madness
Brace yourself, Hell’s Kitchen! After bearing witness to an earthquake and solar eclipse in the same week, yet another cosmic event is upon us. This time it’s the twice-yearly phenomenon known as Manhattanhenge, when the sunset perfectly aligns with Manhattan’s street grid, creating a magical effect that draws flocks of locals and tourists in their…
Thank You for the Music: Sam Ash Closes in New York After Nearly a Century
Luis Infantas has worked at Sam Ash for nearly three decades. He never thought he’d live to see it close, but on Sunday the sales manager watched the W34th Street store empty out, instrument by instrument. “It took a little bit of a toll on me,” Infantas said. “You have a store full of equipment…
Pride Ribbons Fly as Hell’s Kitchen’s Ritz Bar Building Hits Market for $6.5 Million
The Pride ribbons will be out next month at one of Hell’s Kitchen’s oldest gay bars, Ritz Bar & Lounge — but perhaps for the last time, because the venue is up for sale. The entire four-story building that houses the bar on Restaurant Row (W46st St bw 8th & 9th Ave) is listed for…
Car Crash in Hell’s Kitchen Injures Two Pedestrians, 83-Year-Old Driver Hospitalized
Two pedestrians were injured and an 83-year-old driver was taken to hospital after a crash left a car wedged between Justino’s Pizza and a fire hydrant on the sidewalk at W57th Street and 9th Avenue. Residents in the area heard the crash. “It was one loud crash and then, just a second later, another even…
Weed All About It! Finally, a New York Licensed Legal Cannabis Store has Opened in the Neighborhood
At last! Indoor Treez, Hell’s Kitchen’s first legal cannabis dispensary, co-owned by Fikri Nagi and Wesim Alsaidi, has arrived on 8th Avenue between W38/39th Street. The journey to finally opening took over two years to navigate. “I would have never thought this would happen, and now I’m living it,” Fikri told W42ST. He is a…
Robber Who Accidentally Shot Accomplice Wanted in Hell’s Kitchen Attempted Necklace Snatch
Police are looking for a man who accidentally shot his accomplice while attempting a robbery in Hell’s Kitchen last month. The incident took place at 12th Avenue and W50th Street on Sunday, April 28 at approximately 4:30am, when three unidentified individuals in a white vehicle attempted to forcibly remove a chain from a 35-year-old man’s…
Ahoy, New York! Fleet Week Brings a Wave of Sailors to Hell’s Kitchen
Fleet Week is once again returning to the West Side. New York’s piers, harbors and sidewalks will be awash with an ocean of service members, here to honor the legacy of the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. After brushing up on how to distinguish service members by their uniforms, join the celebrations in Hell’s Kitchen…
How Many City Officials Does it Take to Charge a Citi Bike?
Back in February, Councilmember Bottcher jump-started the electric Citi Bike triumvirate of Lyft, DOT and Con Ed into action when he wrote complaining about the lack of fully-charged cycles. Yesterday, a horde of officials descended on a Citi Bike station on W35th Street just west of 9th Avenue to celebrate the first three (yes, you…
Hell’s Kitchen Gay Bar Owner Removes Security Team After Video Surfaces of Violent Incident
A Hell’s Kitchen gay bar owner has removed his security team after video surfaced of a beating of what appears to be a client outside Hush nightclub on W52nd Street. Two men have been arrested and charged with assault in relation to the incident. The video, initially published on Reddit, shows at least four men…
Baron von Swine and Arrival Times? Vision for Smarter Subway Ads Gives Shout Out to Rudy’s
If there’s one thing that the MTA seems to prioritize, it’s ads — whether it’s the digital slideshow present in the city’s new A trains, old-school banner ads plastering mysterious, millennial-targeted D2C companies across an R46, or the station’s newer digital billboards, there is plenty of product placement across New York’s transit system. But in…
Hell’s Kitchen Storefronts Show Signs of Recovery: Vacancies Down as 9th Avenue Sees New Business Surge
W42ST’s storefront survey is back — and while there are still no shortages of ongoing challenges to keeping businesses open in Hell’s Kitchen — there is good news to report, with vacancies trending downwards and 9th Avenue slowly making a commercial comeback. There are still plenty of long-empty businesses across the West Side, but this…
Hell’s Kitchen Businesses Targeted: Glass Door Smash-Ins Rattle Stores
A series of break-ins has rattled businesses in Hell’s Kitchen, with three side street stores near 10th Avenue having their glass doors shattered within 48 hours. In the early hours of Wednesday morning, police were called to Seguidilla Bistro on W51st Street near 10th Avenue after an unknown individual entered the eatery by breaking the…
“Operation Padlock To Protect” Hits Hell’s Kitchen’s 50+ Unlicensed Smoke Stores
As legal dispensaries finally make their way to Hell’s Kitchen, new emergency regulations allowing the city to permanently padlock unregulated pot shops are starting to curb the neighborhood’s unlicensed cannabis stores. Dubbed “Operation Padlock to Protect” by Mayor Eric Adams, a new set of emergency rules and regulations authorize the sheriff’s office, NYPD and Department…
Hell’s Kitchen LGBTQ Leaders Vow to Celebrate Pride Amid FBI Warning of Increased Terrorist Threats
LGBTQ leaders in Hell’s Kitchen say they are committed to celebrating Pride, in the face of an FBI advisory warning of a higher risk for terrorist activities next month. “Pride began as a movement of defiance and the LGBTQAI community has always been strong and we stick together,” Assemblyman Tony Simone told W42ST on the…
Two Students Wounded in Clash at Hell’s Kitchen High School, Police Investigate
Police were called to a Hell’s Kitchen High School this afternoon after an altercation left two students with knife wounds. One of the teenagers was seen being taken to an FDNY ambulance outside the school building on W49th Street between 9th and 10th Avenue. Paramedics had dressed his wound, which was visible on the chest,…
Hudson River was Contaminated by Oil Spill from Cracked Floor and Century-Old Tunnel, Con Ed Reports
Cracks in the floor of Con Edison’s 59th Street Powerhouse led oil from a 4,400-gallon spill to leak through to a century-old tunnel and into the Hudson River, according to the energy company. The April 6 spill at the Hell’s Kitchen facility was a result of the failure of an “oil piping component inside of…
‘Sammy’s Law’ Unleashed: NYC Gains Authority to Set Local Speed Limits in Pursuit of Safer Streets
A state law that goes into effect in June will give New York City more power to regulate its own speed limits. But there are a few paths to get there. By Jose Martinez This story was first published by THE CITY on May 9 5:15pm EDT When Albany lawmakers last month passed “Sammy’s Law”…
Hardy and Handsome, Ginkgo Trees Add Color to Hell’s Kitchen — and a Strange Smell
With their distinctive fan-shaped leaves that turn an attractive brilliant golden hue in autumn, ginkgo trees are easy to spot in the neighborhood. After all, there are over 300 ginkgos in Hell’s Kitchen — with Restaurant Row and W46th Street (bw 8th/10th Ave) housing nearly 100 of them. That color is celebrated in the tree’s…
Demolition by Neglect: Hell’s Kitchen Building Faces Controversial Tear Down Amid Community Outcry
When an attractive four-story townhouse on W47th Street next to a leafy children’s playground was sold for $6m in spring 2018, Hell’s Kitchen neighbors could not have imagined what could happen in just six years. After years of sitting partly demolished and shrouded in scaffolding — the owner shared their plan with the community this…
“Hell’s Kitchen Consistently Maintains an Energy” — Michael Danz’s West Side Story
Advertising agency art director, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus member and “professional amateur dancer” Michael Danz moved to Hell’s Kitchen from Long Island seven years ago. This is his West Side Story. So, what’s your New York story? Born here, or just arrived?My Instagram bio pretty much sums it up… “Long Island blood with…
Hell’s Kitchen Restaurants Grapple with Rising Costs and New Rules on Road to Permanent Outdoor Dining
Hell’s Kitchen restaurant and bar owners say they are committed to offering outdoor dining at their businesses, as the City releases an online directory of pre-approved dining structures. To some owners, al fresco dining, which began in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, is still an essential lifeline for remaining profitable. The Department of Transportation on…
Police Swarm Hell’s Kitchen After Robbery — Two Suspects Caught Following Foot Chase
Hell’s Kitchen’s crowded sidewalks, bustling with locals enjoying the 80-degree summer heat early this evening, quickly cleared as police gave chase following a daylight robbery. Officers wrestled two suspects to the ground on 9th Avenue. On Wednesday evening, the NYPD flooded the neighborhood with officers and squad cars after receiving reports of a robbery at…
Health Officials Urge LGBTQ New Yorkers to Vaccinate as Mpox Cases Rise Ahead of Summer
Health officials are urging LGBTQ communities in New York to get vaccinated as mpox cases rise. “With Pride, vacation and festival seasons approaching, we advise taking action now,” said Marcus Sandling, clinical director at Callen-Lorde, a primary care center dedicated to serving LGBTQ communities. Mpox cases in New York City have slowly increased since last…
Four NYPD Officers Injured as Police SUV and Tractor Trailer Collide on W57th Street
Four police officers were injured after a tractor trailer and an NYPD SUV collided at W57th Street and 8th Avenue early this morning (Tuesday). The police cruiser was responding to a 911 call and traveling north on 8th Avenue with lights and sirens activated when it collided head-on with the tractor trailer headed eastbound on…
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