Clinton/Hell’s Kitchen
Formerly known as Hell’s Kitchen, this area of Manhattan is fast becoming a desirable location on the west side. You’ve seen Clinton in Hollywood movies like West Side Story, State of Grace and Sleepers—you know, the one where humid, dirt-streaked hunks jump from grime encrusted building to squalid tenement while some sweaty broad looks on from the window. Images like this have landed Clinton with what some see as an unfair rap, one crawling with snot-nosed street punks and gang-related crime. Clinton’s proximity to the gritty west side, Port Authority and seedy Times Square have earned it a reputation as a tough neighborhood where kids struggle to get by and people live with their eyes cast down to the ground.
The decidedly un-Blockbuster truth of the matter is that, while the streets of this neighborhood did see some illegal action in the past, Clinton these days is more of a place where young professionals commuting to Midtown can pick up nearby apartments, or where the families who have been there for generations can continue to set up shop and pass on their apartments to the kids. Historically, Hell’s Kitchen has been about family and community, about hanging out on the rooftop--"tar beach" as it was known early in the last century--or having a conversation with the neighbor down the hall. Many current residents of Clinton continue to feed the vital Midtown service economy, made up of a diverse ethnic community of mostly blue collar and lower income workers.
Big plans are in the works for Clinton—plans that have been met with fierce opposition by many locals. Residents here are often not overly fond of recent mayoral plans for a new Jets stadium/Madison Square Garden on the west side between 30 and 34th Streets. It seems, in fact, like most of the problems for Clinton in the 21st century have less to do with street crime and more to do with zoning—holding back the tide that is the theater and tourist section of Midtown west, and taking care of the traffic mess that spills out of the Lincoln Tunnel into the belly of Clinton.
Much of the proposed expansion into Clinton is inevitable. After the cleanup of Times Square to the east and the proximity of Restaurant Row and ol’ Broadway, it was only a matter of time before Disney swooshed in to mop up this other very marketable area of town. Clinton’s proximity to nearly every major subway, views of both the Hudson River and of Midtown’s towering skyscrapers, and its rich history are natural drawing cards. In food matters, there are some real jewels in this neighborhood, as well as a number of fresh food markets on 9th Ave that served the immigrant families who historically populated the area.
It’s a cinch to find places to hang out after the sun goes down around here, be it in a comfortably divey bar or a cabaret/comedy club slightly farther east. One of the hottest spots in Clinton is the bar/performance space Bellevue, an aptly named joint where one could easily go crazy from fun times alone. Drinks are dirt cheap up front at the bar, while the expansive backroom and basement afford plenty of space for dancing. NYC underground bands play here all the time, as does the proverbial DJ next door, so almost any night of the week is a party waiting to happen.
When looking for a spot to live in Clinton, keep in mind that the majority of older apartments are railroad-style flats stacked in variations of 4-6 floors. There are also several luxury buildings with wide availability right on the river. Depending on the outcome of future planning commission meetings, you might see the historic tenements begin to disappear as more big business-fueled money pours into Clinton—or the community might hold on like hell for the kitchen they call home. They’ve got plenty of reasons to, as this is one of the few remaining neighborhoods on the island that still feels like the edgy "New York City" of old.