Good morning and happy Saturday. It’s 9th Avenue International Food Festival weekend. We will be outside Amy’s Bread, rain or shine (actually, it’s forecast for clouds both days, with maybe some showers this evening). Come and say hello — and we have a small, cool gift for you to make sure you don’t get too hot in Hell’s Kitchen this summer. See you soon…
Good news for the neighborhood! Our latest storefront survey shows vacancies are trending down, with 9th Avenue making a commercial comeback. Read more…
Here’s the rest of the news from around the neighborhood this week…
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. Read more…
“Sammy’s Law” will go into effect in June and will give New York City more power to regulate its own speed limits. But there are a few paths to get there. Read more…
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 last month, according to the energy company. Read more…
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. Read Will’s West Side Story…
Police were called to a Hell’s Kitchen High School on Tuesday afternoon after an altercation left two students with knife wounds. On Wednesday morning, metal detectors were installed at the W49th Street school building. Read more…
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. Read more…
Join us at Pier 84 in Hudson River Park today, May 18, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM for the SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival. This free event welcomes budding scientists and water enthusiasts of all ages. Dive into a day of laughter and learning as the Park’s River Project and dozens of partner organizations present interactive science stations, offering opportunities to discover more about our local waterways. Don’t miss out on this celebration of marine science! Find out more…
While Concorde was being refurbished, the folks at the Intrepid Museum worked to create 4,000 sq ft of extra space on Pier 86. On Tuesday, at an early morning event, Hudson River Park President Noreen Doyle said: “It’s a good day in New York City when we open more public open spaces.” During Intrepid’s opening hours, anyone can enjoy Pier 86 for free after clearing security.
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. Read more…
One of Hell’s Kitchen’s oldest French restaurants, Le Tout Va Bien, reopened this week after a three-year closure. A staple on W51st Street, the traditional bistro’s new owner, Vincent Caro, is excited to start the next chapter at the establishment that opened in 1949. Read more…
Check out Lifestyle Editor Sarah Beling’s “Make Way For The Weekend” newsletter. Read more…
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. Read more…
A barista named Jarvis inside the Japanese home-goods Muji store in Hudson Yards is drawing in customers and media attention — but not for his coffee making skills. Jarvis, a robotic barista who got his name from the AI butler in the Marvel comic Iron Man, is receiving scrutiny because he accepts tips on a digital checkout screen. Read more…
What we’ve been reading
* Stories that might be behind a paywall are marked with a 💰
New York will host an urban rat summit in the fall — and rats are not welcome. (CBS)
What are the chances of New York’s skies being filled with Canadian smoke this summer? (New York Magazine💰)
NYPD is planning to deploy drones in response to select 911 calls. (Gothamist)
Battery vendors fail to cease and desist as the City fights against fires. (THE CITY)
Is dining with your dog allowed in New York City? (New York Times💰)
Freeze Frame
If you have read this far, you must be a W42ST Fan! So come pick up one over the weekend. It’s a cool accessory for the summer! Or, to be even cooler, become a W42ST supporter by committing to $5 per month to get a baseball cap and goodie bag! See you on 9th Avenue… (outside Amy’s Bread between W46/47th St).
Happy birthday tomorrow to Tania Green and Val Valentino.
