Hell's Kitchen — A West Side Story

Hell's Kitchen — A West Side Story
Sunday, Sept 28, 2025
12:30 pm – 3:30 pm
Manhattan

How to Find Us: Meet in front of 787 Coffee, 245 West 46th St (just east of Eighth Ave). Pretty much every subway line in NYC stops in Times Square, which is four blocks from the meeting spot. We'll take a 20-minute lunch break (bring your own) in a park/playground on Tenth Ave around 2:00 pm.
The walk ends at W 51st St and Eighth Ave, near lots of subway lines. Toilets are available at the Columbus branch of the NYPL, 742 Tenth Ave (between W 50 and 51 streets). Sadly, there are no public toilets in the Times Square area, but the Paramount Hotel on W 46th St, near the starting point, may allow use of its lobby facility.

NOTE: The portion of Hell's Kitchen that we'll explore (W 46-51 streets, Eighth-Tenth avenues) survives as a microcosm of what was once a much larger area. Our walk will focus on the tenements, row houses, institutions, and playgrounds that reflect Hell's Kitchen's rich history as home to generations of immigrants. Evidence of the gentrification that has transformed parts of the neighborhood will also be viewed.
One of the highlights will be a stop at a playground that inspired Paul Simon's musical, The Capeman. I recommend listening to at least the opening track of its score: https://youtu.be/Us0SbkJaf38?si=5TZXikj0MDNMjGPa

Limited to 25 walkers. $5 for non-members of the Outdoors Club.

Kevin J. Kelley
802-989-1669
[kevinjaykelley@gmail.com](mailto:kevinjaykelley@gmail.com)