Scenic Spots in Hell's Kitchen
New York City - July, 2010 ...if there ever were any :).

Seriously, the island of Manhattan is divided into many neighborhoods. Hell’s Kitchen is on the westside of Manhattan bounded by 34th and 57th Streets. It has been known for its low income families throughout the island’s history. (It is where Sylvester Stallone was born and grew up.) No one knows how it got its name (it has since been changed to the more politically-correct sounding “Clinton”) but few doubt it has something to do with the gangsters and prostitution that ran rampant there in the old days.

Hell’s Kitchen has since been cleaned up starting in the early 90s. It is now a place to find cheap apartments especially for starving Broadway actors and actresses. It is only one block west of Times Square. I used to work in Hell’s Kitchen and I’d say I’d be more nervous driving in the day through Harlem -- another neighborhood uptown -- because of the people just hanging out in the streets than walking alone at night in the deserted streets of Hell’s Kitchen.

Still, I guess old habits die hard and working girls continue to ply their trade there. When I worked there, I used to see some of them as early as 3 pm in their skimpy skirts, high heels, and heavy makeup standing on street corners and transacting business with customers inside cars parked by the roadside.

This series of photos started out with the apartment building in #1. From there I took other pictures in the neighborhood.

The apartment building in picture #1 always catches my eye coming in to work every morning. Now I think I know why. Red brick building, green tree, and blue sky make for a picturesque scene. In the winter, white snow makes the scene just as pleasing to look at.

That is, if anything is ever pleasing to look at in Hell's Kitchen...

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