Hell’s Kitchen Local

Any Broadway theaters really! Broadway shows are the heart of the city!

Homemade Taqueria has been my lunch go-to for the past five Saturdays in a row. Sometimes twice a day. The food is amazing — taco al pastor and aqua fresca watermelon. The background music is hip. The staff are super sweet. And the vibe is both modern and old school. I am already a regular — and plan to continue!

I'm here every day at least once, since my rescue dog Ruthie loves the doggie pools in the summer and is a social bug. There is an amazing dog owner community that often hosts holiday events and social hours there, and great neighbors who help clean and maintain that space (thank you).

Hell’s Kitchen Park is a real neighborhood park, made even more so by the local volunteers who help maintain the plantings, and those who promoted the new mural on the east building facing the park. This is exactly the kind of public space this City needs more of. It became one of my favorite places and a core memory from this campaign: standing in that park surrounded by the labor leaders and rank-and-file members from the unions backing this race, looking out at a crowd of working New Yorkers who built this city and still fight to make it work for everyone. That’s the coalition I’m running with, that’s the neighborhood I’m running for, and Hell’s Kitchen Park is where it all came together.

I’ve made VERS Bar a pseudo second home base for this campaign, bringing the community together first for a Summer House Watch Party with my wife, Darya, and Jackie Cox, then for the LGBTQ+ for Bores canvassing launch earlier this month. There’s something special about a space where you can have a serious conversation about what’s at stake in this election and then turn around and cheer at reality TV together.

I love the Hudson River and spend a lot of time in Hudson River Park, especially Pier 84. It’s such an important green space for our neighborhood and we’re lucky to have it. I’ve spent so many afternoons there with my daughter at the water sprays when she was younger and now with a good book she’s older. As a member of the park’s Advisory Council, I’m especially excited about the improvements coming. It’s only going to make an already special place even better.

Christopher Harrison invented aerial yoga. He is an artist and athlete and a resident of Manhattan Plaza. His technique is both soothing and exhilarating. Who doesn't want to learn how to fly?

Industry is my very favorite gay bar in the city. It was the first gay bar I went to when I first moved to NYC. I still go there every Friday when DragRace is on. It's so fun and welcoming!

Founded by three Hell's Kitchen natives, whose family has run a deli in the neighborhood for years, they serve what I think is the closest to In-N-Out burgers, which the former Californian in me appreciates.

Consistently satisfying and bountiful doner kebab. Their babaghanoush is superb, and their gyro and chicken tucked into freshly baked bread, the Ramazan Pidesi, is a chef’s kiss. I come here when I need a quick, filling, quality meal and the least amount of decision-making.