New York: Exploring Hell's Kitchen

At the origins

Hell’s Kitchen is an industrial neighborhood that first housed warehouses, factories, and docklands before descending into violence and crime during the 1920s and 30s. Gangs like the Westside Mob, Gophers, and Hudson Dusters have kept the police in check for a long time, to the point that the officers said before entering the neighborhood: “Well, let’s go to Hell!” »

From the 1980s, Hell’s Kitchen began to experience major transformations. Many dilapidated buildings have been renovated, leading to higher real estate prices and increased gentrification of the neighborhood, until the recent construction of the huge Hudson Yard complex.

The unavoidable

– Le Port Authority Bus Term

It is not a priori a tourist destination that we want to visit, but the largest bus station in North America which welcomes more than 220,000 travelers a day. It is ideally placed if you want to travel to New Jersey or Pennsylvania and, more generally, the East Coast.

The station, built in 1950 is located between 8th and 9th Avenue, near 42nd Street

View of the aircraft carrier Intrepid

– The Intrepid Museum

It is very likely that you have seen along the Hudson River this former aircraft carrier converted into a museum of history and science of the sea. It was built in 1943 for the American Navy and it has participated in many missions during World War II and the Cold War.

In 1982 the ship was dismantled and turned into a museum.

Views from the High Line

– La High Line

This is probably one of the best known tours in town. It occupies an old aerial railway line transformed in 2009 into a promenade. It offers a splendid view of the city’s skyscrapers and the interiors of New Yorkers who don’t always have curtains…

Batiment The Vessel

– Hudson Yards

Considered one of the largest real estate development projects in New York history, the complex includes 16 office towers, 4 residential buildings, shops, restaurants, a museum and The Vessel, a spectacular building now closed to the public. audience. The whole covers an area of 11 hectares.

Famous locals

– Robert De Niro : The American actor has lived in the neighborhood for a long time, and even opened a restaurant in Tribeca, just next door.

– Lady Gaga : The pop star grew up in the neighborhood and has often spoken of the influence of Hell’s Kitchen on his life and music career.

– Billy Crystal : The actor and comedian grew up in the neighborhood and frequented neighborhood theaters and bars. (When Harry met Sally).

Good addresses

We asked Aurélien, who has lived with his family in the neighborhood for 5 years, to share his best addresses with us.

The advantage of Hell’s Kitchen is the wide variety of restaurants! You can eat Ethiopian, Thai, Mexican, French, Spanish… It’s a neighborhood loved and lively by the LGBTQ+ community For families like mine, it’s ideal because we are surrounded by playgrounds and our apartment is located close to Hudson River and its landscaped docks. On the way back from Pier 81 where we often go to watch the sunset, we often stop at Gotham Market which is like our canteen.

My favorite street is 44th between 9th and 10th. There is the famous school The Actor’s studio of Al Pacino.

The restaurants

*44 & X Hell’s Kitchen*

(212) 977-1170

*Pius Pius 8*

(212) 459-2929

*Kochi*

(646) 478-7308

*Westville Hells Kitchen*

(212) 924-2202

*Gotham West Market*

(212) 582-7940

And a brand new restaurant (this is the particularity of Hell’s Kitchen: there are plenty of restaurants that open and close).