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Published at 1:48pm
Published on 7/24/08
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Once a stomping ground for unsavory New York characters, Hell’s Kitchen is now one of Manhattan’s most chockablock areas. What it lacks in luxury it makes up for in shaded stoops, ethnic eats and enough doggy boutiques to drain Trouble Helmsley’s inheritance. The sheer variety of businesses would make Jane Jacobs…intrigued.
HK’s Eighth Avenue strip near Port Authority is its busiest area; sidewalks are packed 20 bodies deep—mostly dizzy tourists fresh from Times Square. Souvenir shops, electronics discount stores and adult video rentals abound.
But walk one block west and the change in energy is palpable. Ninth Avenue is the heart of HK, and sidewalks are sprinkled with a collection of people young and old, tony and grungy. Quick hellos between locals convey a sense of community, and even the desolate stretch of littered underpasses at Tenth and 39th (the least soulful part of the area) has the small-townish Astro’s Community Dog Run nestled within it.
While HK isn’t known for its retail offerings—unless you’re on the hunt for pug apparel—the number of trendy, alfresco and hole-in-the-wall eateries boggles the brain. Restaurant Row runs along 46th between Eighth and Ninth and features trattorias and cocktail lounges galore, but the tree-lined side streets parallel to it offer just as many (and perhaps better) dining options.
Ismet Kolenovic, a super in a walk-up on 46th between Ninth and Tenth, says his block has the ideal mix of residences and small businesses. He’s been in the area for more than three decades and doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon. “Ten years ago, you couldn’t walk down the streets alone at night. There was rape, crime, you name it,” he says. “Now it’s just the opposite. We’re in the middle of everything. And the people—the people are just happy.”
OVERALL SCORE: 21
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On Ninth Avenue, streets are intimate and community thrives. People engage in small talk and there’s a mix of residential, office, industrial and retail buildings. The Irish and Italian population has accepted other nationalities: One block features a West African grocery, a Moroccan eatery and a Turkish bistro, all side by side.
Next: #7: East Village
medina
Mon, Oct 01, 07, at 6:02pm
my father is ismet kolenovic and i love him sosososo much.i love my hole family.
