a walk through Hells Kitchen

Its probably been 25 years, since I first heard of Hell's Kitchen. The name offered furtive interest. I recall about 5 or more years ago, the area was settled by contemporary pioneers and home steader"s. A walk on W 46th clearly indicates Hells Kitchen of yore is only in the memory of earlier residents. New restaurants flanked both North and South sides of W46 St. 9th Avenue reminds me of A and B of East Village in the 80's. 9th Avenue has a distinct immigrant flavor, many Brazilian and Thai restaurants, a Greek, Puerto Rican and Mediterranean eateries, and frequently overheard Arabic, Persian, and Spanish languages. There is a mix of trendy, bordering on trendy bars, clubs, and downtown restaurant satellites. VNYL has a branch, Eatery resembles a brethren on 6th Avenue made infamous by the serial Sex in the City. It is conceivably the Chelsea annex of the under 30 gay/bisexual/questioning young people.

I recall Therapy was perhaps the first Lounge outpost, likely to have visited in the late 90's. Now there is Vlada, Ritz, Posh, and Pacha, across the street from the Hudson Terrace. With the first warm and dry day of my visit, I trekked 5 blocks (Avenues are regular street block, 4 = 1 mile)and stood in line at the Terrace. It had sweeping views, 3 glass walls enclosed the edge. The third floor is an open terrace dance floor. Crowded from its buzz, celebratory New Yorkers and friends enjoyed the anonymous though "group" oriented socializing. After an hour and a $13 TnT (Tanqueray and Tonic, no cover), I proceeded up street to Therapy.

Therapy, was well maintained, it was as I remembered. Sleek with its wood walls and stainless steel accents, a stairwell that invites you to the 2nd level loft. I liked it for its thoughtful use of material and space. I would characterize it as quiet sophistication in how it occupies time and space. This is in contrast to my responses to other venues, whereby quickly turning around and leaving Vlada (shrill with intoxicated fruit flies), Ritz (intolerable loud music) and passed Bamboo.

Hells Kitchen is a neighborhood to consider living in. An asset is its closeness to the Hudson. It will necessarily grow and evolve its architectural style, a mix of contemporary and few post 30's structures, hopefully with not too many uninspired boxes. Perhaps residents will plant more trees, move the city to provide bike lanes for both uptown and downtown thoroughfares. I can imagine a few multi-national chains setting up small retail outlets: Zara, BR, CB2. The current residents fit those profiles. I wish that it won't be sanitized as other neighborhoods have become.

I'm curious what my next visit will bring.

Impressions of a privileged life

Today's lunch at Docs on 3rd, with an acquaintance of 11 years, was both somber and disquieting. John lost his beloved sister nearly two years ago. He stated not having fully recovered from a grueling tour with the light opera company, and requested a rain check for the high line park walk we planned. He also shared a picture of a watercolor painting, a female nude, that won him a prize at the guild.

Somber in that we both shared our observations of how Manhattan has changed. The conversation started with an observation of all the closed businesses lining the avenues and streets of what many know to be the heart of the city's shopping and theater district. John paused at a point and uttered "this is not the New York I remembered moving here for. It is depressed."

During the course of my walk across town, hoping for no rain to come, a reflective mood visited me. At my destination, climbing the steps on W23rd Street for the elevated train tracks and seeing the Hudson river to my immediate right along with the Chelsea piers, a new vista of a familiar area greeted me. Over the 20 plus years of visiting the city, there were feelings of enchantment and discovery.

Something new has sprung in an old place, once invisible to many who never venture across these parts. What some considered as off-off Broadway, the Meat Packing District, West Village and the ballyhooed Chelsea district is in the midst of regeneration. In a sense, a park signals a new area has settled. An urban oasis.

New York over my lifetime, seem to have gone through a renaissance beginning in the mid 80's.

As it became "cleaner/safer," bringing in more tourist; as neighborhoods "gentrified" the lower east side especially near Thompson Square, as the wealth of late 20th Century amassed, the city drew like a magnet those who wanted to live a good life.

Approaching the plateau of what is the mid point of my life, during my stroll memories that are uniquely New York came. Among them the Picasso/Matisse exhibit in MOMAQueens, Suleiman exhibit at the Metropolitan, my first look at the Sargent portraits at the Frick. Yes, I travel for art, the highest of my privileges.

New York museum hops was never a pilgrimage, of sort, bred from excess, more so wanting to recharge in being at a place rich with artifact and pleasure.

I had not stayed in midtown during the summer for many years. Recent visits brought me twice to Brooklyn, once during fall and a winter weekend in Chelsea. Midtown is central with its close proximity of modern walkable New York, the MOMA, Rockefeller Center, museum mile, and Central Park. Places I visited regularly when staying in town.

Can one count memory bytes as signifier for the quality of a life? Perhaps this is a topic I can begin to explore in this very public journal.