About the Area
Welcome to Hell's Kitchen, New York!
The area known as 'Hell's Kitchen' is roughly defined
as west of 8th Avenue between 34th and 59th
Streets.  The city renamed the area 'Clinton' to reflect
the extreme change the neighborhood has gone
under in the last 15 years.   By the way, the renaming
was NOT in honour of Bill Clinton.  It was actually
named after DeWitt Clinton, governor of New York
and mayor of New York City in the 1800s and known
as the 'Father of the Erie Canal.'  However, no one in
the 'hood refers to it as Clinton.  It was, and always
will be, Hell's Kitchen.

So where did the name come from?  No one can pin
down the exact origin of the label, but some refer to a
tenement on 54th as the first "Hell's Kitchen."
Grocery
There are 2 larger grocery stores
nearby called Food Emporium.
One is located on West 43rd
Street between 9th & 10th
Avenues (closer to 10th). The
other is at 49th and 8th.

The Amish Market is on 9th
Avenue between 48th and 49th.
Laundry
There is no laundry in my building so
you can either drop it off or do it at the
laundromat.  A good drop-off service
is on east side of 9th Avenue
between 46th & 47th Streets. They do
it in one day.

A nice DIY or drop-off laundromat is
on 10th Avenue and 46th Street.
Restaurants
So many!  'Restaurant Row' is on my street,
between 8th & 9th Aves.  Here are just a few of my
favorites:

Film Center Café - 9th Ave between 44th&45th
Joe Allen - Restaurant Row
Becco - Restaurant Row
Hourglass Tavern - Restaurant Row
Eatery - 9th Avenue & 53rd
H&H Bagels - The BEST! 46th between 11th & 12th
44 & X  - Nice brunch, 10th Avenue & 44th Street
Parking
Don't drive!  That said, parking on my
street is very difficult. NYC has what is
called 'alternate side parking rules' which
translates to twice a week you must move
your car for street cleaning.

There are many lower priced parking
garages in the 50s between 11th and
12th Avenues, but they ain't cheap.
Gyms  - There are
plenty of gyms near by.  
All charge a daily rate
and if you are staying
for a while, it's worth it
to go in and see if they
will work out a deal for
you.
Mid City Gym - $15/day
NOT a 'health club' - more hardcore gym
244 W. 49th (corner of 8th Ave.)
212-582-8924
Ballys Total Fitness - $20/day
Part of the national chain
350 W. 50th (west end of the large outdoor plaza)
212-265-9400
Golds Gym - $25/day
250 W. 54th (between 7th & 8th Aves.)
212-307-7760
Manhattan Plaza Health Club - $35/day
Spectacular pool & sun deck!
482 W. 43rd (corner of 10th Ave.)
212-563-7001
Parks - Many of my guests have brought young children and while all the
sites of NYC are amazing, sometimes you just gotta swing or go down the
slide!  There are two parks with child-friendly playgrounds so close:  The
first is down the block (turn left out of my building and it's mid-way down
the block).  The second is on 10th Avenue between 47th & 48th Streets
(turn left  outside my building and turn right when you get to 10th Avenue).
Both have playground equipment and even great sprinklers on hot days
Swimming Pools - Believe it or not NYC has
free swimming pools, both indoor and outdoor,
scattered throughout the city. Here is the link to
get more information: NYC Parks Dept.
Another explanation points to an infamous building at 39th as the true original. A gang and a local
dive took the name as well. The truth is difficult to uncover, since the West Side was peppered with
menacing nicknames like Battle Row and the House of Blazes (where arson was a favorite form of
entertainment), so Hell's Kitchen was just another way of describing a place that was hotter than
hell. The expression was possibly an import: a similar slum also existed in London and was known
as Hell's Kitchen.
Photo by Willis Chung, June, 2008